Glass tears & Mirror shards
by LNMHYLIAN
Summary: Midna is gone and Link tries to lead a normal life with his wife and daughter. But something evil is brewing in the twilight realm and Link needs to find out what. Join our hero on an adventure to save hyrule and his broken heart.
1. Why is history always written in blood?

_**EDIT! oficially in 2/9/11**_

_**I was re-reading the first chapter and I got to thinking. Holy crap. I wrote this?**_

_**Needless to say, it was very bad. Really bad. Super mega sucky horrid bad. So I fixed it. And I think it turned out… better.**_

_**But anyways, if this is the first time you've read this story, THANK YOU!**_

_**If not, then EVEN MORE THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH ME EVEN THOUGH THE FISRT COUPLE CHAPTERS SUCKED! Also thanks to clarissa, for being a nerd with me. And such.**_

_**This chapter is dedicated to YOU! For clicking on it! Yay!**_

"The history of light and shadow will be written in blood…"

Link watched Ganondorf fight for his breath, the Mastersword buried in his chest.

Zelda turned to the Hero of Twilight and sighed. Her blue eyes searched the wreckage of Hyrule Castle for any signs of the Twilight Princess. Midna was nowhere to be seen. The sun had almost set when Ganondorf had finally stopped breathing. He stood, upright in the place where Link had dealt the final blow.

"_Link" _she thought. _"Oh no LINK!"_

Link could tell the princess was staring at him. Her gaze was so wise and knowing he felt she could read his thoughts. "She would have liked to see this." He whispered, breaking the silence. "The curse that sealed away her powers would have been broken. That was how this all started, it was how it should have ended."

"Oh Link…"

Link felt angry and frustrated. He didn't want Zelda's pity; he merely wanted his friend back.

But just then the triforce of wisdom on Zelda's hand started to glow. She looked to the west as the sun set and saw the four light spirits of hyrule gathered at the top of the hill. Zelda could barely make out the shape of a creature sitting head down at the top of the grassy knoll. As the light spirits faded away, Ordona looked at the princess and her hero. He made a blood chilling sound that both soothed and terrified Zelda as he too faded away. Surprise dawned across her face. "Link" the princess said. "Look."

Eyes stinging, Link looked in the direction Zelda pointed. The shadowy form looked hauntingly familiar. As Link pondered what it was, realization struck him harder that any blow. He gasped and slowly began to run towards the hill. He was tired from his battle but Link found new life running up the rise. When he reached the top he stopped in his tracks. A shrouded girl with flame orange hair sat before him. Her cloak was ornamented with glowing white patterns. Her long skirt cinched at her waist by a thin metal belt. Atop her head sat a thin gold crown with a forehead decoration. Bluish green markings adorned her arms and legs. She was barefoot. The girl rose slowly, a grin dawning on her face as her ruby red eyes met his sapphire blue ones.

"What? Say something!" She said, in a voice the sounded like tinkling bells. "Am I so beautiful you've no words left?"

Link stared in wonder at this person standing before him. "_This can't be her!" _he thought. But then she giggled and Link felt his heart become whole. She laid her hand across his face. Link could only hear her voice and only feel her touch. He barley noticed Zelda coming up from behind.

"Midna…" she whispered, making Link's heart leap at the sound of her name. "Is it really you?"

"Are you surprised as well?" she asked, stepping away from the hero to twirl in a tight circle. "I would expect more from the high and mighty Zelda."

The princess of light pursed her lips into a tight line as she gazed at Midna. She could tell why the Twili had been distraught when she was turned into an imp. The likeness did not suit her at all.

Zelda stepped back to survey the Princess, taking into note how Midna did not draw herself up proudly. _"She is not vain. Not openly flaunting her looks. Then why should she be so upset?"_

The light in the sky was vanishing almost as quickly as the sun had. Link looked around uncertainly.

"I don't mean to interrupt but there should be-"

He was cut off as a pack of stellhounds sprang out of the ground and began to circle them.

Zelda gasped, covering her mouth in horror and disgust, despite how minor an enemy they were compared to the King of Shadows that had just been killed. The hero rolled his eyes; he hadn't the energy or the patience for killing stellhounds (or dealing with the princess). He reluctantly drew his sword, half-heartedly slashing at a snarling skeleton. Link felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to look at the blue-marked arm that was connected to it.

Midna smirked and raised her hands into the air. A black ball of energy formed between her palms, expanding until it was about the same size as a deku nut. Then, she quickly broke it into ten smaller pieces with her fingers and launched them at the skeleton-dogs. They fell dead immediately.

Zelda looked back, eyes narrowing at the display. "_so that is what she prides herself on." _She thought, twitching her fingers in an irritated manner as her own magic reacted to her emotions. Light crackled under her skin, countering the shadow magic Midna held in her possession. The Twilight Princess blinked curiously and turned her head to lock her blood red gaze on Zelda. Sensing the bright magic, Midna grinned, sending waves of her magic back at the Princess; a power display. Zelda withdrew herself, keeping her blue eyes firm as she cleared her throat. "Night has falling and we need shelter."

Link nodded, causing both girls to jump at the slight motion. His presence had long since been forgotten in the heat of magic. "The castle is destroyed and we can't go anywhere in castle town." He smiled pointing to Zelda. "The people would have a fit if they knew you walked among them." He then turned to Midna. "And the people would have a fit if they just looked at you."

The twili sent a mock glare at the hero, nearly scaring him to death. "Am I THAT atrocious Link?"

The boy held up his hands, backing away stammering. "I- uh-I meant- um…"

Midna let out a mischievous giggle "Relax. I'm kidding!" she placed a hand on his arm, looking not into his eyes, but staring straight at Zelda. "I don't want to know how the people of Hyrule will react to someone like me."

The Princess of Light returned the look, catching Link's attention with a wave of her hand. "I'd prefer we find a place to stay."

"How about Link's house in Ordon?"

Link divided his attention between the two women, "If we go to Ordon, there would be even more uproar! Most people there have never been outside the gates!"

"So?" Midna said, rolling her eyes. "We'll leave early in the morning! No one will find us then!"

"We only have one horse" murmured the hero, more to himself than anyone else. "Midna can you warp us to Ordon?"

The impish grin on the Twili's face faded, replaced with actual concern. "I'm not sure what that would do to Zelda…" she said, glancing at the Hylian girl from the corner of her eye. "I'd rather not try."

"Right" he said, turning on his heel and walking back down the hill. "I'll get Epona, we can work it out from there."

Once he was out of earshot, Zelda released her pent up anger. "What was that about?" she demanded. "What do you think you were trying to pull?"

Midna rose up, towering over the other princess. "YOU were the one using your light magic to counter mine! I wanted to see how much power you possessed."

Zelda stopped, her mind beginning to race. "If my powers were granted to me by the goddesses, then why are yours so much more powerful?"

"I think it's because I'm in the light realm," Midna held up her fingers and created another ball of black magic. "At home, this could only be used as a stunning attack. Here it is much more than that." The ball shrank, disappearing without a trace. "I assume it would be a similar result if you used magic in the twilight realm."

Zelda opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of hoof beats. She looked back and saw Link trotting over on his beautiful brown mare. "We should leave" he said looking over his shoulder. "Or else we'll run into more stellhounds."

Zelda took the opportunity to climb onto Epona's back, wrapping her slender arms around the hero's waist. Link shot an awkward look at Midna, then at the princess seated behind him. "Midna, can you still hide in my shadow?"

"Without a single problem" she said, sliding her semi-transparent form under the stocky mare.

As Link reined Epona in, Zelda pulled on his ear a little. "Wait! What about the Mastersword?"

They turned to face the King of Evil, still standing with the Blade of Evil's Bane impaled through his chest. Link tapped his horse's side with his heels, steering her towards Ganondorf's body. They sat there, looking at him for a long time before Zelda turned in the saddle to put both of her hands out towards the King of Shadows. "Let me handle it…" she whispered, sending small particles of light towards the body. They slowly engulfed the wicked man, blinding the princess and her hero as the light increased. Suddenly, it vanished, taking Ganondorf with it.

"Where did you send him?" asked Link, reaching to his sword sheath. "And what about the Mastersword?"

"The Arbiters Grounds" she said. "The sages will take care of him as well as the Mastersword. Now Link, if you please? Start heading to Ordon. I'd rather not be attacked again tonight."

XXX

"Now remember" Link whispered as Epona tip toed towards the house. "NO one in this village can know I'm hiding Princess Zelda in my home. And the same goes for you Midna" Link looked down at his shadow where he knew the twili was listening. "One princess in my house is a lot, two is a crowd!"

Epona stopped just before entering the village. The tree Link built his house in was just in front of them. _"Good" _Link thought._ "Looks like no one is awake." _Link shifted to his right, unhooking his left foot from its stirrup. But the tight grip of the princess had the hero almost completely immobilized.

"Princess, we're here." Link said, gently trying to pry her fingers away from his chest. He looked back to see if she heard him and smiled a little to himself. She had fallen asleep during the ride. The hero clucked his tongue, walking Epona over to the ladder. Bracing himself on a vine he hoisted Zelda on to the ledge, rolling her away from the edge so she wouldn't fall off. The hero dismounted his horse and held her head with both off his hands. "Thank you" he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. "You are a good friend for staying by my side through this whole journey and I'm sorry you had to fight Ganondorf with me." Epona looked at him with her chocolate brown eyes. She gave him a nudge and a small whiney in response to his statement. Link smiled, wishing he could transform into a wolf so he could talk to her. But weariness was pulling his eyes shut involuntarily. So, for the first time in weeks, the hero led his horse over to her favorite patch of flowers and pulled her bridle off. He hung it on a hook attached to the side off his house and turned to her saddle. He undid her girth, slowly pulling the saddle and saddle pad from his horses back. Epona nickered thankfully, taking in a huge sigh of relief before putting her head to the ground to graze. Link turned and then climbed up onto the ledge where Zelda lay curled up. He picked up his princess and opened the door. The familiar sights and smells of his home made Link relax a little. He set Zelda down on the couch and tossed a blanket over her. To his surprise she rolled over and said his name.

"Link…"

Link felt an uncomfortably hot feeling spread throughout his body. He left Zelda and went outside to sit in the night air. He left his door slightly open to air out the musty scent that seemed to cling to the walls of his house. Link looked out over the village with a sigh of relief. He let his mind wander as some thing made a rustling sound in the distance. All of a sudden some one tapped his shoulder. Instinctively Link reached for his sword to defend himself but Midna was faster. She grabbed him by the hand and turned his face towards her. Seeing the princess of Twilight put his soul at ease. He sat down and motioned for Midna to join him. She settled down beside him and looked at the stars.

"This reminds me of hunting for the poe souls." Midna whispered. "The nights are beautiful here. They are much different from nights in the twilight realm."

"Are they really?" asked Link "what's so different?"

Midna turned her head away sharply and toyed with a blade of grass. She could feel herself blushing. "The night sky is purple and the stars are orange…"

Link looked at her softly. "You miss it there don't you?"

"_No you idiot!" _thought Midna while she desperately tried to keep herself from shaking. _"I want to know why every time I look at you my heart aches! I want to know why I hide from you but desperately want to be seen. I want to know why when I was dying you saved me after all I put you through. I want to know why you stood by me when Zant placed a curse on you. But most of all I want to know why when you look at me I feel like crying and laughing at the same time." _After her long silence Midna spoke again. "Yes. I miss my people and my world but… May I ask you something Link?" Midna turned her head as she spoke. She looked down and saw that Link had fallen asleep. _"Do you care for me?"_ Midna thought. She smiled to herself shedding a few tears. _"What is this? I'm crying?"_ Midna wipped her face only to find that her tears had turned to glass. Feeling playful despite her obvious sadness, the Twilight Princess held up the glass tear in her palm and flicked it away. To her surprise, it exploded in a shower of orange and black sparks. Midna looked around frantically, hoping no one had heard the noise. When no one woke, she turned her attention back to the glass orbs. She brought the largest up to her eyes, searching deep within its depths.

The tear had swirls of twili magic inside it, mixing a stable amount of the inherited magic of the twili race with the stream of magic that was found only in the royal family.

Midna's eyes widened. She remembered hearing of this kind of thing before, from her father.

"_Child," the Twili King coughed. He lay in his bed in the palace, dying, holding his daughters hands as she wept for him. "Listen to the tale I have to tell. You recall the legends of the mirror of twilight correct?" he smiled when she nodded. "Good, though you must know that the legends are true. Only the true leader of the twili can destroy the mirror. With the coming of the sacred beast," the king sat up as best he could, reaching out to cup his daughters face. "The mirror is dangerous; should you get the opportunity, destroy it." The king wiped his thumb along Midna's face, catching a tear. "Though we were banished from the world of light, we hold no animosity towards them. If anything, we must protect the Hylians from what may enter their world from ours." King Twili closed his eyes, his voice cracking as he spoke. "The only thing that keeps me alive now is the magic of the royal family. Allow me to pass it along to you." Midna held back a sob at the declaration. Though she was crown princess, she held no place in the line of kings. She had told her father years ago she didn't want to be ruler. "Zant is not fit to rule in my place. I had never planned on giving your cousin the throne in the first place." The king closed his eyes moving his hands to the princess' shoulders. He hummed a short melody, sending waves of his orange magic into his daughter. Though she wished to protest, her body sucked the royal magic in gratefully, stripping her father of his power. Once it was all gone, the king fell back onto his pillows. _

"_Father!" she cried, going to his side. He smiled up at her as she shook his hand. "No father! I don't want this! I'm not fit to rule! You must stay!" _

"_My Midna…" he sighed, his skin color rapidly inverting. "When the time comes, do not fear sadness, let your tears flow free. They are what mix the sadness of Royal Magic with the Happiness of the twili."_

"Father…" Midna whispered. "Is this what you meant?" _"I can't destroy the mirror father; I do not have the strength. I cannot abandon Link and Zelda." _The twili glanced over her shoulder at the sleeping hero. The soft, relaxed look on his face suited him better than the one of constant hardship and fear he had worn throughout his journey.

"Only the true ruler of the Twili can utterly destroy the Mirror of Twilight." Midna whispered. "Zant could only break it into pieces."

"_I could destroy the mirror with the power that is inside me" _the princess thought slowly._ "But I wonder… can the ruler of the twili also restore the mirror? With one tear, I suppose the last surviving link between our worlds could be vanquished. With enough of my power, can I repair what might be broken? If I leave enough of my power behind in this world, then someone could rebuild the mirror."_ Midna giggled as Link turned in his sleep. "_If he cared for me, then he would travel the country to find a way to return to the twilight." _The princess sat up a little straighter. "_That's it! If I leave enough tears in this realm then Link could rebuild a stable doorway to the twilight! I could test Link to see if he loves me enough to search Hyrule for my tears so he can rebuild the Mirror of Twilight." _Her growing grin faltered as a thought crossed her mind. _"But if he doesn't care about me in that way, I would have left Hyrule without communicating my true feelings, and he would never come for me... Can I go through that kind of emotional pain?" _the twilight princess cast a glance at the sleeping boy beside her. _"For him, I could do anything." _Midna leaned against her hero, breathing in his scent of pine trees and fresh air. _"Anything…"_

Zelda lay motionless with her eyes closed. She could hear Link and Midna talking outside.

"This reminds me of hunting for the poe souls." Midna whispered. "The nights are beautiful here. They are much different from nights in the twilight realm."

"Are they really?" asked Link "what's so different?"

Zelda heard the rustle of Midna's cloak as she shifted slightly. "The night sky is purple and the stars are orange…"

The princess shifted her head ever so slightly so to see Link better. There was an unexplainable softness in his eyes as he looked at the Twilight Princess. "You miss it there don't you?"

Zelda gazed at her savior. His golden hair blew back slightly in the breeze. As he waited for Midna's response Link's head began to droop. It was not long after the hero of twilight had fallen asleep that Midna answered his question.

"Yes. I miss my people and my world but… May I ask you something Link?" she turned her head and saw that he was sound asleep.

"_He must be exhausted from the battle with Ganondorf." _The princess thought as she let herself fall asleep once more.

_In her dream Zelda stood on her balcony, observing her kingdom of Hyrule. People mulled about in the market below, some stopping to point as they noticed their Princess. A horse-back rider in the distance called a current issue to her mind. _"What should I tell Link…?" _The princess said to herself _"it may destroy what stable part of his soul that's left."

"Princess!"

_Zelda turned to see her closest advisor Fayor at the door to her chamber. _

"Fayor? What's wrong?"

"N-N-Nothing Your Highness!"

"Then what is so urgent that you barge into my private chambers?"

_Fayor looked down at his feet_. "Begging your pardon Highness but the royal gardener found something that may interest you in the flower beds!"

_Zelda raised her eyebrows_. "Really? May I see this interesting thing?"

_Fayor looked surprised at his princess's shrewdness_. "Yes… of coarse…right away!"

_Zelda moved closer as Fayor pulled something out of his coat pocket. It shone with a reddish-orange light._

"This has magic in it…" the _princess whispered, examining the object closely._ "But I have seen this magic before… where could I have possibly seen this same type of magic?"

"Forgive me my princess" _said Fayor, voice quavering._ "But I don't know."

"I don't expect you to Fayor" _Zelda said kindly._ "You may return to your duties while I continue to examine this."

_As Fayor bowed and left the room Zelda turned her full attention to the shining object. It was made of glass and strangely tear shaped…_

_**WELL! I don't usually have much to say after these. But today I do have something to say! I will probably have notes and things on random topics such as…**_

_**King Twili's death: yes Midna's daddy died. Sorry if it is Mary sue-ish, but I think the only reason why Zant would have thought he would get the throne is from the death of the king. When the king passed his powers onto Midna, it caused his… psychotic episodes…**_

_**King twili's color inverting: when a twili is close to death, their color inverts. Exactly how Midna's colors turned opposite in the game.**_

_**Any way…. Check ya later! **_

_**And I love reviews. I eat them for dinner!**_


	2. Waking up to say farewell

(Author says hello and welcome to chapter 2!)

First off THANK YOU SilenceHD! That makes me feel so happy!

While writing this I accidentally wrote tunis instead of tunic and I can let you guess what word I was laughing about. To make it all the more hilarious, in context it works perfectly making midna a bit clingy… ;)

Also for the part where link woke up I had a kitchen scene where midna and Zelda make soup. I took it out because it makes Zelda sound like a little girl with a crush rather than the princess of a kingdom… if you want to read the part just message me and I'll send it to you!

Here we go again!

The next day when Link awoke he found himself on the grassy ledge that lead to his house._ "I don't remember falling asleep here…" _he thought groggily. Turning his head to look at the entrance to the forest, Link heard the squeak of wagon wheels, the clank of horse shoes and the cries of children. _"The kids are returning home from kakariko"_ thought Link lazily. He stirred slightly and realized something heavy was on top of his chest. He looked down and saw Midna's head resting on his torso. She lay curled up beside him. Link's heart almost stopped when he saw how peaceful she looked.

"I see Link's clearing!" cried a voice not to far away.

"_That's Ilia! _Thought Link _"She can't see me like this!"_

Link sat up quickly disturbing Midna and waking Zelda. The Princess of hyrule opened the door rubbing one eye.

"What is this?" she cried "What is going on?"

"I think I can explain later…" said Link desperately "but you are never going to get the chance if the villagers see both of you!"

Zelda turned her head in the direction of the noises. "You're right." She sighed. "First let's move her!" Zelda gestured with one thumb at the Twilight Princess. "She's the one who will attract even more attention than me."

Zelda attempted to pull the still slumbering Midna through the open door. Midna groaned slightly and clutched tighter to Link's tunic as if she were determined not to wake up.

"Help me get up!" huffed Link.

Zelda helped Link stand up. Once standing Link lifted the sleeping Twilight Princess into his arms and carried her through the entrance. Zelda shut the door quickly behind them and peered through the window. "Someone is coming. I think she saw me shut the door…"

Link's heart dropped. "Is it a girl?"

Zelda gave him a quick glance. "How did you know?"

Link swore under his breath "how do I know? That's just my luck."

"Explain" demanded Princess Zelda.

"Not enough time… you take Midna down to the basement and stay there till Ilia-"

"Till Ilia does what Link?"

Link felt his heart beat out of his chest as he turned to face his childhood friend. Seeing her didn't give him the same thrill as it used to. Link guessed it was just under the circumstances.

Ilia first looked at Zelda, then at Link and lastly Midna stretched out in Link's arms, her face buried in his shirt.

"I see I'm interrupting something important. I will leave you alone then."

Ilia turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her as she left.

Zelda glanced at Link. "You owe me two explanations" she said. Link could feel the poison dripping from her voice.

"Alright let me set Midna down first."

Midna rested her head on a pillow Link gave her when he set her down. Link's explanation about Ilia didn't interest her at all. She already knew the details. What she did know was that it was no accident she fell asleep with her head on his chest. She had wanted to breathe his scent before she left hyrule to return to the twilight realm. The fact was Midna had not slept at all the night before. She had been conscious when Link awoke, when he carried her inside and when Ilia confronted him about the two girls in his house. Now she was debating how she would re-enter his thoughts and break the news she would be leaving for her world. Midna faked a yawn, rolled over and stretched up.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully. Midna looked into Link's sapphire eyes and saw a shadow covering their light. "What's wrong?"

"Just that Ilia thinks I'm a creep for keeping secrets from her and hiding women in my home." He sighed, rubbing a temple. "But it's fine. She always forgives me easily… for some reason."

"As I was saying before I was interrupted" interjected Zelda. "We should head to castle town soon. The people will need help rebuilding."

Midna giggled. "I can warp you there! The portals in the sky may never go away so we may as well put them to use!"

Link looked at Zelda who nodded while Midna smiled impishly.

"OK Ready?" Midna asked "here we go!"

She grabbed both Link and Zelda's hands as she melted into the air. All of a sudden Link felt himself rematerialize in the mirror chamber at Arbiters Grounds. Midna turned to face both Link and Zelda.

"Well… I guess this is farewell, huh? Light and shadow can't mix, as we all know." Link looked at his dearest friend. Had she really brought them here to say good bye? "What about castle town?"

"But…" Midna continued, ignoring him "Never forget there's another world bound to this one."

Zelda nodded, understanding. "Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other."

Link had no place in this conversation of dark and light. He just wanted to tell Midna she couldn't leave or his heart would break. _"But doesn't your heart only break if you're in love with someone?" _Link shook away his distressed emotions but they kept returning.

"I know now the reason the goddesses left the Mirror of Twilight in this world." Zelda said knowingly. "They left it because it was their design that we should meet." She paused as if thinking about her claim. "Yes…that is what I believe."

Midna searched for the right words to show her gratitude. "Zelda… your words are kind and your heart is true. If all in Hyrule are like you… then maybe you'll do alright" Midna walked to the front of the mirror after she finished speaking but turned to look Link straight in the eyes. "Thank you…"  
Zelda smiled as the wind blew her braids forward.

"Well the Princess spoke truly" said Midna tearing her eyes away from Link's, fearing of giving away her thoughts." as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again…"

Midna turned to speak again, meeting Link's gaze once more.

"Link…I…"

Link's blue eyes met Midna's amber ones for a fleeting moment. Midna sighed and shed a single tear. She held it for a split second before giving it a shove in the direction of the Mirror of Twilight.

"See you later."


	3. Into the future, remember the past

_**author greets you and welcome you to the third chapter... **__**this is my attempt to be dramatic!**_

**_firstly (is that a word? it is NOW!) i wat to thank my best friend for agreeing to be my editor! thanks rissy! and i want to apologize for batching the second chapter with confusingness. i think i fixed it! so with out further ado sit down and read this latest chapter! also sorry about it being super long... i think i realized that to get the whole story written i need to start making the chapters really long... otherwise im gonna end up with like 150 really little one sentance chapters... and those suck._**

**_sadly i am poor so i dont own zelda or its characters. you will gain about 14 bucks and my wii. thats about all i have to my name. but i do however own mitaku! MITAKU FTW! XD _**

Zelda paced in her office, absent mindedly chewing a nail. She kept remembering the day Midna had returned to the twilight realm. She was going over the scene where the twilight princess had destroyed the mirror of twilight. She shed a tear and it hit the mirror… nothing ultra special about destroying the only link to the realm of light she had. Except for the fact she had left Link with a shattered heart. "_It must have killed her to leave like that" _Zelda thought. _"She loved Link with all her soul! Why would she leave without telling him so?" _

Link had stared at the mirror platform unseeingly. Zelda hesitated to approach him. He looked so fragile she felt that if she touched him he may break. The princess finally rested one gloved hand on his shoulder, trying to ease his sadness. Link had only stiffened under her touch.

"Link…" Zelda said, "Tell me what Midna meant to you." She had tried to look into Link's eyes. What she saw there before he turned away from her was a mixture of anger and sadness.

"She was my best friend." He said simply walking around the platform to examine the ruins of the mirror. Link had bent down, and picked up a small shining object off the floor. As he turned to go, the princess glanced at the object that rested on his palm and gasped. It was Midna's tear.

Link had made the tear into a necklace which he never took off. When Zelda had asked him why he kept it the Hero always answered with either "I don't know" or "she was my friend… I don't want to forget her".

"What was she thinking?" cried Zelda, silently cursing the twilight princess for leaving her with this mess. Feeling a little dizzy, Zelda went to the balcony to look out over her people. Seeing the bustling city folk calmed the princess and she sat down.

"Darkness is seeping through the void…" Zelda said to herself. "And the only other magic I sense is Midna's. What ever is happening on the other side is getting out of control and for some reason she managed to come back to the realm of light. The first thing we need to do is inform the sages and Link. Then we can find out what's going on." Zelda grabbed her pen and wrote a letter to Link telling him to come to the castle and gave it to a servant outside her chamber to have it delivered. She went back to her balcony to observe the people of hyrule. They were completely unaware of the impending evil that would knock on their doors soon if this problem wasn't taken care of. _"What is Midna doing back? Wouldn't she see Link first?"_ Zelda thought until her head felt sore. _"What should I tell Link…?" _The princess said to herself "_Knowing Midna is back, after all these years, may destroy what stable part of his soul that's left. He would probably leave hyrule behind and search the world if it meant finding her! "_ Zelda allowed herself a small smile. _"That idiot! He doesn't realize he loves Midna."_

"Princess!"

Zelda turned to see her closest advisor Fadore at the door to her chamber. She was struck with the immediate feeling of déjà vu.

"Fadore? What's wrong?"

"N-N-Nothing Your Highness!"

"Then what is so urgent that you barge into my private chambers?"

Fadore looked down at his feet. "Begging your pardon Highness but the royal gardener found something that may interest you in the flower beds!"

Zelda raised her eyebrows. "Really? May I see this interesting thing?"

Fadore looked surprised at his princess's shrewdness. "Yes… of coarse…right away!"

Zelda moved closer as Fadore pulled something out of his coat pocket. It shone with a reddish-orange light.

"This has magic in it…" the princess whispered, examining the object closely. "But I have seen this magic before… where could I have possibly seen this same type of magic?"

"Forgive me my princess" said Fadore, voice quavering. "But I don't know."

"I don't expect you to Fadore" Zelda said kindly. "You may return to your duties while I continue to examine this."

As Fadore bowed and left the room Zelda turned her full attention to the shining object. It was made of glass and strangely tear shaped… and it gave off a faint trace of Midna's magic.

"That's what I'm sensing!" The Princess cried. "I can sense Midna's magic in this realm but it must not actually be her! It must be things she left behind! Yes that's it! I have to tell Link… he needs to find them. We need to find the traces of Midna's power that she left behind for us. There has to be some meaning…" Zelda resumed pacing around the room. _"But I already sent him a letter and that postman can't be trusted carrying information like this. He always reads his costumers letters. What if I tracked him down?"_ Zelda thought _"I could be confidential and we could get started right away. And if I'm outside the palace I could even help. But then the problem is how would I manage to leave the grounds?"_ the princes bit her lip _"its not like I'm allowed to go wherever I want all the time. I'd need a good disguise…"_ Zelda smacked headfirst into a cabinet (as she wasn't looking where she was going) and fell to the ground. The cabinet creaked open and the princess looked up at its contents. The disguise that had belonged to her ancestor was hung neatly inside. It had become a family air loom as it represented a turn in the history of hyrule. Zelda looked up at the red symbol that had been painted on the chest.

"This will do just fine…" Zelda thought to herself with a small chuckle.

In his dream Link was thirsty.

Not just a little thirsty, Link felt like his mouth was turning to dust as he lay in the mirror chamber of Arbiter's Grounds. He had no means of escape as the walls were to high and the sand storm outside would not let up. Link had exhausted the last drop of the Great fairy's tears and relished in his moment of partial strength. But the spell had soon faded, causing Link to spiral into a depression. Just when he couldn't take it any longer storm clouds rolled in over the desert, casting a dim but welcome shadow over the land. Link smiled at his good fortune and silently thanked the goddesses for the gift of rain clouds. As the sweet moisture fell from the sky Link opened his mouth, intending to savor every drop. But when the raindrops hit his chapped throat he instantly knew something was amiss. This rain didn't taste like rain, much to Link's surprise and disappointment. No it tasted almost salty. That's when the sages, aroused from their slumber, added their own tears to the salty rain. Sobs racked the sage of forest's body as Link watched the terrifying scene, unable to help. Something hard fell on his head and dropped to the ground. He looked about and realized it was the tear Midna had used to destroy the Mirror of Twilight three years ago. Dubiously, Link bent to pick it up wondering why his charm was not around his neck. Link reached down the front of his tunic to retrieve the chord he had strung around Midna's tear. The glass glowed a faint orange as he held the two tears up to compare them. They were completely identical, save for the one in Link's right hand which had a chord strung round it. The rain changed to hail, the stones bouncing around on the floor of the mirror chamber some shattering upon impact. But Link's eyes were not fooled for long. As he watched the hail he realized it was made of glass, not ice. Shattered glass was littered every where making walking around nearly impossible unless you wanted shards in your foot. Link realized a little too late that he should shield his eyes from flying pieces of glass. A large shard flew into Link's left eye, momentarily leaving him blind. The sages wept as Link cradled his eye in his hand. _"It's raining Midna's tears" _he thought before his dream ended.

Link awoke with a pain in his eye and a hole through his heart. His wife Ilia was making his favorite breakfast of toasted bread with a spread of Ordon goat cheese. She hadn't noticed he was awake and, feeling unsociable as always. Link settled back down in bed with his head under his pillow crying silent tears of fear and sorrow, holding Midna's glass tear close to his chest.

"Great job today Link!" called Fado, waving his hand enthusiastically. The farmhand merely raised a hand in farewell, nudging his horse, Epona, in the direction of home. Fado scratched his head thoughtfully. _He's never been so slow before…_

Epona dragged on through town, her mood matching her masters' as they trekked home. The Hero of Twilight pulled her to a stop in front of the entrance to the village outskirts and dismounted. Epona whickered half-heartedly when Link turned her to face him.

"You can find your way home right?" Link whispered. Epona simply looked into his eyes and gave the tiniest of nods as if the question was silly. Ever since Link had first become a wolf and talked to the animals he understood them better, even if they had no voice to speak with. His horse turned and continued on the path to the house as Link walked to the dock by Hanch and Sera's house. He slipped into the water so he didn't wake the whole family. Link defiantly didn't want to be seen heading to his favorite hiding spot. The Hero of Twilight swam out to the small ledge where ordon catfish swam. He had a habit of coming here when he didn't want to be found. The monkey that guarded the forest temple made her nest in a tree above the ledge and sometimes, if he was lucky, she would bring her babies down to play. Tonight though Maria, (That's what Link named her. She was a girl monkey after all!) came down to sit with the hero alone. Link scratched the monkey behind the ear and in turn, she picked a bug off of is tunic. About a half hour had passed before one of the little monkeys up above let out a tiny squeak. Maria looked at him as if she was saying _"I have to go…"_

Link sighed. "Ok but I'll be sitting here for a little longer ok?"

Maria nodded and gave link a quick hug before swinging into her tree to shush the baby monkey. The blonde boy looked up at the night sky, remembering the conversation he had with Midna all those years ago

"_The night sky is purple and the stars are orange…"_ that was what she said… right?

Link felt the familiar stabbing pain in his chest. He pulled out the tear Midna had used to destroy the Mirror of Twilight. He had found it among the mirrors shattered remains and the hero had taken it so he would never forget his dearest friend. But lately, Link was having a hard time NOT thinking about her. He had so many unanswered questions.

"_Why did you destroy the mirror?" _was one. Did Midna never want to see them again after what had happened? But she wouldn't have cried if she never wanted to see them again. Link's head swam with questions and possible answers. He did even notice the man standing atop the roof of Sera's house.

"Link?" the man half yelled. The hero could just barley make out the white running suit the man wore.

"Oh shit…"

"HEY!" the postman screamed. "!"

"I will kill you one day…" Link snarled under his breath. "and no one will care! They might even have a celebration in my honor!" the blonde boy smiled mischievously at the thought as the post man dove into the pool of water and swam for the ledge. He clambered out of the pond, soaking wet and said…

"Greetings Mr. Link! I have a letter for you!" the postman reached into his pack and pulled out a dripping wet letter. "OH no!" he cried. "Now I will have to dry them all out!" the postal worker looked as if he were about to cry until Link coughed.

"The letter please?" he said, dripping venom into his words.

"Ah yes" the postman said, handing the silently fuming hero the letter. "It's from Princess Zelda." The postman smiled and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Link. The golden haired boy snorted.

"Idiot! I'm…" Link swallowed, as if the words were hard to say. "I'm married… a-and the Princess only calls me when she needs me for a quest or some prissy event." Link flipped the letter over only to realize it had already been opened. "What the hell? Who did thi-" Link stopped and turned to the postman. "did you open this you prick?" the hero hissed. The postman merely smiled an arrogant smile.

"Read it!" he giggled, hardly containing himself. Link pulled out the parchment and read it aloud.

Link,

Please come to my castle… we need to talk.

Sincerely,

Zelda

"Sounds like an important 'quest'…" the postman said, using air quotes around the word quest. He started to laugh until Link grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him into the air.

"I swear…" Link growled "if you ever read my mail again I will kill you. If you ever approach me at night I will kill you. And if you ever think I don't have the guts remember… I killed Ganondorf and stopped the spread of twilight in hyrule. Killing you would be like breaking a twig."

"Who's Ganondorf?" the postman whimpered.

"_stupid low profile villans." _Link thought as the post man trembled in his grip. The hero held him over the pond effortlessly with one hand and whispered "would you like me to drop you?"

The poor man shook his head vigorously and Link set him down. "Holy crap man!" he said rubbing his neck "what the hell is wrong with you?"

Link growled in an almost canine manner causing the man to flinch away from him. the hero dove into the water and swam until reaching the dock by the shopkeepers house. Link's hair dispelled droplets of water when he shook his head. The golden haired boy ran a hand through his hair, pushing back his blonde bangs. Link tiptoed up to his house, stifling a yawn. There was a light on in the kitchen and as the hero turned to make his escape into the forest he was ambushed by Ilia.

"Link!" she cried, girlishly "honey you missed dinner…again."

"I was at the ranch late."

"Yea and Epona came home without you."

"She was tired!"

Ilia snorted. "Since when did you become the one who communes with horses?"

Link raised his arms in defeat. "Alright I didn't come home immediately! I'm awful!"

"Actually you are! You mister…" his wife said poking him in the chest, "are never home anymore! You know Midia hardly knows what a father is let alone who her father is!"

Link flinched at the sound of his daughter's name. "I-"

"Link…" she interrupted, "I'm not up for your bullshit tonight."

"Ilia she-"

"No, she doesn't know what a father is! You can't justify that! You leave for work before she wakes up and you're gone the whole day!"

"But I-"

"Shut UP LINK! You work all day and come back late at night often after she's gone to sleep. And sometimes you get random letters from the Princess calling you to her court! I mean how outrageous is that?"

Link pulled out the soggy letter. "It's from Zelda" link said wincing at the look of purest malice that crossed his wife's face. "She said she needs to speak to me at the castle."

Ilia's lower lip started to tremble and she hid her face in her hands. Link had officially made a girl cry. And what was more he had made his wife cry.

"Ilia… don't cry! Ill only be gone a couple of days…."

Ilia looked up at him sharply and Link realized they were tears not tears of sorrow, they were tears of rage.

"when you get back…" she whispered "I swear I will lock you up in the cellar so you'll have to spend time with us!" then she grinned mischievously "and maybe I'll chain you to the bed…" she purred seductively "so you can't escape me…" Ilia traced the tip of her finger across Link's chest. The hero blushed slightly and shrugged away from her touch.

"If I leave now I can be at the castle by morning." He said, cursing the blood that rushed to his face.

"Honey you've been up all day." Ilia whispered "you should come inside and get some rest…"

Link shook his head, his blush still staining his face. "I'll send you a letter when I get there."

Ilia frowned at her husband's stubbornness and, after a moment's hesitation; she decided a joke might lessen his attitude.

"Oh please don't." she sighed "that mailman creeps me out." Ilia cast a glance at Link. He was fussing with Epona's reins as he packed for his journey. She could tell by the look in his eyes and the perk in his pointed ears that the hero was only half listening. "He hits on me all the time…" Link still wasn't listening. Instead he mounted Epona and led her to the entrance of the forest.

"I'll see you in a few days ok?" he said, looking back at Ilia.

She looked like she was going to kill him. "No Link." She said "you won't leave without giving me a goodbye kiss to hold me over until you get back." Ilia beckoned him closer and closed her eyes. "I'm waiting…" she said when Link hesitated.

He grimaced and looked around for means of an escape.

"Just a second" he called as he tiptoed Epona out into the forest. As soon as Ilia was out of sight Link urged his horse into a trot, a lope and then a gallop. Soon Link and Epona jumped the gate that lead to hyrule field. Link relaxed when they crossed the bridge and into the monster infested plains. Even his crazy wife would follow him out here. The hero slowed Epona to a walk, patting her neck and praising her on her speed. He started to lead her in the direction of the great bridge of hylia when Epona snorted and stomped her hoof. She pointed in the direction of castle town.

Link sighed, "Sorry girl, but I'm not going to castle town yet. Do you think I want to be there catering to the princesses EVERY need? Go arrest these people hero!" he said, in his best mock Zelda voice. "Link, go risk your life to check out this area! Link, go kill something! Link; be my champion Knight since you don't have a choice. Link does this dress make me look fat?"

Epona stomped her hoof and shook her mane.

"I know I shouldn't complain about being Zelda's champion knight…but sometimes I just want to be link the farmhand! Is that to much to ask? When I go into castle town I don't want to be attacked by that mob of screaming fan girls.

Epona turned her head to look into her masters eyes.

"I know I wouldn't have complained before I became a hero but now it's different! That was before Ilia…" Link trailed of as Epona trotted over the great bridge of hylia. "Why didn't I kiss her? I've never had a problem like that before…"

"You know talking to your horse is a sign of insanity."

The hero froze, looking at his horse. Epona turned her head to look at her master, wondering why he had stopped.

"Epona…" Link said tentatively. "Did you say that?

"Wow the goddesses chose you to save Hyrule? You twit... I said that."

The blonde boy turned his head to a stranger clothed in blue. His hair was contained in a turban like head piece that he used to also conceal most of his face. His only features visible were his sandy blonde bangs and one bright red eye. He sat, reclined against the bridge wall looking very relaxed as the hero almost fell off of his horse. Link took a moment to collect his raging thoughts and emotions as he dismounted Epona.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he said, feigning calmness.

"I'm enjoying my first taste of free fresh for the first time in years" Replied the stranger, shifting so that he was facing the blonde boy "but I could ask you the same thing. Sounds to me like you came here to escape your wife."

Link blushed when he said that. Curse his face for reddening so easily! "I don't know…" was his answer… _"Is that it? Am I avoiding Ilia?"_

"You don't know why you're in the midst of a monster infested field in the middle of the night? Any normal man would be home enjoying his wife's company, if you catch my drift." Link could almost detect the traces of a smile in the stranger's tone.

"I guess I'm not normal then…or at least I can't be normal now."

"You didn't have to tell me you aren't normal I figured it out on my own." The stranger stood up and walked gracefully around Link, almost as if he were dancing. "So you are the Hero of Twilight." He said, not asking a question but stating a fact. "VERY unimpressive."

"WHAT?" Link shouted startling both his horse and himself. "What the hell would you know?"

"I know you're a creep who talks to his horse and marries a woman he doesn't care too much for."

"Shut up you bastard." Link snarled.

The man shrugged, "I tell it like it is! I don't get to do it that often."

Link's whole body was shuddering with rage. The Hero was barley controlling himself.

"What's more that necklace you're wearing? It must remind you of that Twilight Princess right?"

Link twitched and slowly reached up for his sword. He did think about the fact that this stranger knew more about him than anyone else. Not even Ilia dared to ask him about his necklace. The only thing going through Link's mind was_ kill the bastard. Make him suffer for the insults that stain his tongue. Let him die by the blade of my sword._

"Oh did I hit a soft spot Hero?" sneered the stranger. "I bet you loved her…"

"SILENCE!" screamed Link as he drew his sword with the speed of the Goddesses. He performed his favorite of the seven hidden skills, the mortal draw. The man just barley missed being decapitated by Link's sword but he knew it was coming. The man arched back into a bridge and, when Link had stopped his swing, lifted his legs into the air to land a perfect kick under his jawbone. Link staggered back and after a moment pointed his sword at his opponent's chest, rubbing his jaw. The man laughed a musical taunting laugh.

"You've gone soft Hero!" he chuckled. As quickly as the laughter had begun, it ended, leaving the two men standing on the bridge in silence, one fuming and planning his next move and the other calmly examining a nail. The stranger seemed to have forgotten about Link until he turned his head sharply, intensity showing in his ruby red eye.

"My name is Sheik." He said jabbing a finger at the hero "and I am here to test your will to fight. With out it… Hyrule will fall."

~~~~~~~~~~Later, somewhere else. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The girl looked around frantically as she ran down the corridors of the palace. She just needed to reach the throne room! There she would be safe. But the evil monsters were hot on her trail and she was beginning to feel tired. Seeing the final stretch gave her the energy to push on and she used the stick she was carrying to hit the button that activated the moving platform of light.

"I hope I remember the combination of platforms" she thought, clutching her doll to her chest. She jumped from platform to platform reaching the ledge that lead to the throne room. So close to her goal, the girl looked over the edge to see if the monsters had continues to pursue her. One looked up at the girl and snarled, shooting a poison barb at the ledge. The barb struck her right in the shoulder and, after a few seconds spent writhing in pain, she gathered her things and ran into the throne room. The princess sat not on her seat above the masses but among the crowd. She was holding several crying children, murmuring words of comfort into their ears. Hearing the doors open she bolted up and took a fighting stance ready to defend her people from what ever may come. But then she saw the girl. And then she saw the poison barb. The princess ran over to the girl just in time to catch her as she fainted. The barb was sizzling in her shoulder and the princess took great care in removing it.

"Princess…" the girl coughed, suddenly awake again. "Will I die?"

"I will not allow it." The princess told her sternly. She beckoned the nearest doctor with a finger and she left him to his job.

"If only the Hero of legend were here" cried a man, holding his arm gingerly.

"The sacred beast?" scoffed another "he will never come."

"We must remain hopeful!" shouted the princess so that all could hear her words.

The people settled down into their silence again, a mother occasionally shushing a crying child.

The princess turned and walked to a corner in the room were none of her people could see her. The princess's legs crumpled beneath her as sobs racked her body. "What do I do?" she whispered, her voice thick with tears. "What a fool I've been!" she punched the ground with her fist, ignoring the throbbing pain that spread up her arm. "My hero hasn't come for me and my kingdom is crumbling…"

"Princess Midna?"

Midna looked up to see her best friend Mitaku standing beside her. Seeing her face drenched in tears, Mitaku bent down to sit beside her leader and friend. Midna buried her face in Mitaku's cloak and wept silently. Mitaku stroked her hair and whispered

"Midna you can tell me anything. It's not the monsters that troubling you." Midna's sobs became more violent as she fought for air and the right words to say. Mitaku continued. "If it's not the monsters that troubling you then you can tell me what is."

Midna looked into her friends orange eyes and nodded. The sadness in her gaze spoke for itself. _Yes I will tell you_ her eyes said. _But not here._ Mitaku raised her head and beckoned to a palace knave.

"The princess has exhausted her magic healing the people" she lied smoothly. "I will be taking her to her rooms to rest."

The knave nodded and scurried off to assume his duties. Mitaku slung one of Midna's arms across her shoulders and helped her across the room to her private chambers. Only time would tell if the princess would be able to recover from this grievous mental wound. The twili had many remedies to cure what ever ailed you but there were none that could be used to mend a broken heart.

_**i have BIG plans for these guys! read and reveiw or else i may hold the next chapter hostage! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA byebye! :)**_


	4. Sheik

**Dearest god that took me way to long to write! Wow it took me forever to work in all the little pieces and guess what I realized at the beginning? I SUCK at writing fight scenes. I'm absolutely horrible. And holy crap I just had a horrible time writing this chapter. Lol I couldn't think of Midna's advisors name so I tried Farore backwards to see if it would work. It came out Eroraf and I cant pronounce anything correctly to save my life so I took out the Ero and stuck it on the end of the raf so thus was born Rafero! Just oh my god your lucky I didn't end the series right then and there I was soooo frustrated! Argh but I couldn't do that to you guys! I hate it when people don't finish their stories. So read and review because I like to hear from you all! speaking of which…**

**SilenceHD: I'm glad you get it now! Sorry for confusing you… oops? :)**

**Miss Tentative: I HATE ILIA TOO! I'm made her marry Link cause… OH almost gave it all away! Nvm I'm such a tease! ;P**

**So without further complaints here it is… chapter four!**

**Disclaimer. I still hafta write one. I don't own legend of Zelda or its characters. HOWEVER! I do own Mitaku, Farore and Rafero! ALL OF THESE PEOPLE FTW XD**

"My name is Sheik." The stranger said, jabbing a finger at the hero "and I am here to test your will to fight. With out it… Hyrule will fall."

"_Goddesses damnit…" _Link thought, massaging his aching jawbone. "_This guy wields no weapons… but his mastery of hand to hand combat is incredible!" _

"Did you not hear me HERO?" Sheik said. "I am here to test your will to fight. And you are not fighting. I have no choice but to beat the crap out of you!" with blinding speed, Sheik swung his leg high into the air to land a kick on Link's head. With a clang of metal Link lifted his shield to block the blow.

"You want a test?" he snarled at Sheik. "How about I cut the soul out of your body with my sword? Then we'll see if I've lost the will to fight."

With the last word Link grabbed Sheik's foot and twisted to the side throwing the man into the wall of the great bridge. Sheik struck the wall with enough force to shatter bones but, to Link's surprise; he got up as if unharmed.

"Well well well…" Sheik coughed, blood beginning to drip from a cut on his face. "Lets see if you truly mean what you say." Sheik drew a sword and began circling the hero, every so often lunging in to penetrate his defenses.

"_This isn't like every boss battle I've ever fought"_ Link thought frantically. _"He's a person. He has no special weakness I could use to defeat him. No magic eye or gem to mark a weak spot. Guess this one will be swords only."_ Sheik raised his sword to attack and Link smashed the Hylian shield into his face. The hero jumped to the side and rolled behind Sheik so he could score a back slice. Sheik leapt away with the grace of a dancer. He soared through the air and laughed as the hero stared, landlocked. He had no way to fight if he couldn't reach his target. Sheik's feet touched the ground long enough to push off into another towering leap. Link pulled out his bow and loosed an arrow at the Sheikah's face. The arrows saw-like edge ripped through some of the bandages that concealed Sheiks other eye. Now it was a full blown brawl, Sheik showed no sign of tiring as he smashed away at the hero's defences. Link could only hear the blood pounding in his ears and could only see sweat dripping into his eyes. He would have to end this soon or he would be finished. Sheik leapt into the air, far above the hero's head and drove his sword down. Suddenly, he was hit in the face by something that exploded into his eyes. Sheik fell flat on his back, his sword flying out of his hand. He looked up to see the hero of twilight loomed over him, sword in one hand and a slingshot loaded with deku baba seeds in the other.

"_Unbelievable! I was foiled by a slingshot?"_ Sheik rolled out of the way just in time to miss getting stabbed in the head with Link's sword. Sheik stood unsteadily and started to back away, rubbing seed fragments from his eyes. Being at a loss for breath, Sheik could almost avoid all Of Link's strikes. By the time he had regained his air, Sheik was covered in shallow cuts, each bleeding furiously. Black spots blurred the mans vision as Link kicked his feet out from under him.  
"Get ready to greet the gods" the hero growled. He lifted his sword to finish sheik off…

~~~~~~~~Someplace else…~~~~~~~~

"Midna…" Mitaku sniffed slightly. Tears were beginning to form at the edges of her eyes. Midna's story was so sad. It was almost unbearable to hear.

"Yes…" Midna sighed starting to cry again. "He's the only thing that been on my mind for the past three years. I couldn't have cared less about all the problems the kingdom has been facing arose. I kept refueling myself with false hope only to have it drained again as another day passed." The princess whipped her face with her hand in an attempt to dry her tears. "I hate him…" she whispered.

"Midna" Mitaku cooed. "Surely you mustn't mean tha-"

"Oh but I do…" Midna rasped, her voice getting louder as she spoke. "I hate him… I HATE him… I HATE HIM!" the princess choked on her sobs and sat down again pulling her knees into her chest. Mitaku pulled a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself and Midna.

"Sweetie… it'll be alright!" Mitaku whispered into her friend's ear. "You can get over it." Midna stiffened as she spoke.

"Don't you think I've tried?" she snapped. Mitaku looked hurt and Midna cursed herself for losing her temper. "I'm sorry but I can't forget him." she looked around the room to the three fused shadows that sat on her dresser. "The magical shadows I use to keep the creatures at bay remind me of how we searched the land of Hyrule to find them." Midna waved her hand through the air. "This palace reminds me of when he came to the realm of shadows to defeat Zant." The princess buried her head in her hands as she took out the small shadow crystal she kept on a chord around her neck. "This…" she continued "is the curse Zant placed on him. When it was banished from his body via the Master Sword it took the shape of this crystal." She let her charm fall back into place on her neck. "I kept it so that I would remember him."

"Midna…" Mitaku sighed in exasperation. "If you want to forget him you won't succeed if you keep things that remind you of him." she held out her hand as the princess looked up with teary eyes. "c'mon…" Mitaku sighed as Midna shook her head frantically. "Give it here Mimi." Midna's tears began to flow again at the sound of her childhood nickname. She took off her necklace and handed it to her friend.

"Don't touch the crystal…" she said her voice thick with tears. "I don't know what would happen to you if you did."

Mitaku nodded and held it by the chord and walked over to a box on the dresser. When she opened it she found other things inside from the world of light. A dried flower, a patch of wolf fur and a golden bug that, miraculously, was still alive. It tinkled with soft light and it made several clicking sounds as it flew out of the box and around the room.

"No!" Midna cried as she trapped the bug in a ball of magic to prevent its escape. She lowered it into the box as Mitaku put in the shadow crystal. Mitaku started to hum a small, sad melody of a spell and the box shone with a bright blue light.

"There" she said sitting down as Midna stood up to examine her treasure box. "It's done."

"MITA? WHAT THE HELL?" screamed the princess as she feverishly tried to open the box. The golden bug inside tinkled its agrivation before Midna settled down. "I didn't say you could have it all… what did you do to the box?"

Mitaku motioned for her friend to sit with her. Instead Midna sat in her lap and resumed crying into her shoulder. Mitaku struggled to control the blush that was slowly spreading up her face.

"I- uh…. Ummm… I put a locking spell on it." She said, stuttering slightly. "Only I can open the box now."

Midna's tears soaked through Mitaku's cloak. _Goddesses this girl can cry! I don't think she has ever cried in front of someone before. This must be really serious to have her so worked up! _Mitaku stroked Midna's hair absent mindedly before saying "Mimi you need to dry your tears and open your eyes! There are plenty of people in this world… THIS world who could love you more than…" Mitaku avoided saying the hero's name in fear of further agitating her princess, "more than you ever thought possible!"

Midna stopped crying and looked into her friends eyes. "You're right." She said, voice quavering. "I have to be strong for my people and for myself." She stood and briskly dusted off her skirt. "I've lived for three whole years without him! I can do anything!"

Mitaku stood up slowly only to be tackled to the ground in an infamous Midna bear hug. She felt her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest and a blush spread across her face once more.

"Oh I just love you Mita!" Midna cried. "You're the best friend any twili could ever have!"

"_Yea… friend"_

~~~~~~~~Great bridge of Hylia~~~~~~~~

"Get ready to greet the gods" the hero growled. He lifted his sword to finish Sheik off…

"Wait!" cried a female voice. Link, hearing the voice but not looking away from Sheik, hesitated for a mere moment to long. Sheik punched the hero right in the nose, grinning in satisfaction as he felt cartilage breaking under his fist. Link flew back a couple feet, blood spurting out of his nose as Sheik stood slowly, ambling overt to the ground where his sword had landed. Sword in hand, He walked over to the hero and leaned in, pulling down the bandages that hid his face. Link recoiled when Sheik kissed his forehead tenderly. Blood flowed to his face as Sheik stood back and smiled to himself.

"What the hell man?" the hero squealed (Yes… squealed…) as he whipped his forehead vigorously, careful not to touch his broken nose.

"Man?" Sheik asked, sounding insulted. "I am most certainly NOT a man." Sheik pulled off the remaining bandages that concealed his identity. "I am Zelda."

Link looked at his princess blankly. Zelda was about to say something else when the hero's eyes rolled into the back of his head. Whether it was loss of blood or sheer shock at her unveil, Zelda wouldn't know. Nor would she care. All that mattered now was the collapsed hero at her feet.

~~~~~~~~Zelda~~~~~~~~

When I insulted him he snarled at me. When I attacked him he showed no mercy. I saw in his crystal clear blue eyes the pure unadulterated hatred of a feral beast. I was afraid of the man who had risked everything to save me once, but I couldn't show it. I had to be strong! I couldn't back down after traveling this far, that's all I've ever done. He couldn't see the real me, he had no idea to whom he was growling at. He had almost killed me… TWICE! I even punched him in the face so hard I broke his nose. So to see him, beaten and broken down, was almost crushing.

"_I did that…"_ I kept thinking to myself. I hadn't even thought to bring any red potion with me when I left the castle.

"What an idiot I am!" I cried, thrusting my fist into the ground, again and again. "Damn, damn, damn." I ignored the pain that spread up my arm and into my shoulder, numbing the whole limb.

Great. Just absolutely perfect.

I heard someone cough behind me. I whipped around to see the Hero of Twilight sitting up and going through his pockets. He pulled out two bottles full of red potion and handed me one.

"Cheers" he said, nodding to me. He took a sip of the potion and the small scrapes on his arms sizzled with the ancient healing magic. They closed up swiftly leaving only the faintest trace of a scar. The hero felt his nose gingerly and winced in pain. I immediately felt hot guilt rush through my body.

"_I did that…"_ I thought as Link looked over to me. I expected to be reprimanded for my actions but I was even further surprised when he said…

"Hey can you help me get my nose back in place?"

I thanked the goddesses Link didn't seem to be mad at me. So I moved over to him and waved my hand over his face. The triforce of wisdom glowed out from under the glove that covered my hand. It sought out the ancient healing magic that its previous wielders had once used. Images flashed through my head showing me the people who had held the triforce of wisdom in ages past. I saw a woman who looked like a former princess. She was wearing the same ancient disguise of the Sheikah that I was wearing now. She had let the bandages that concealed her identity fall around her shoulders. The harp she played was the same as my own. 'The harp of the Sheikah' was what my father had called it before he passed away. He told me it held powers only visible to the one who bore the triforce of wisdom. I had yet to discover them but it seemed like now could be the best time. The princess for whom I was named looked straight at me and whispered _"Welcome Zelda. Listen to the song that I shall play for you for it will heal all but the most deadly wounds"._ I felt a tug at my mind. I felt like this former princess was trying to force her experiences into my brain. I watched the princess pluck a few notes on the harp and I hummed the melody a couple of times so I would remember. "_The song of healing…"_ the spirit whispered in my ear. I gasped and broke free of the hold my triforce had on me. I reached for my harp that lay hidden in my shoulder bag and played the song over and over again until the spell solidified itself in Link's body. He glowed bright white and as quickly as the light had come it vanished, leaving the hero completely free of wounds. He put a hand to his nose and smiled. He looked more like himself. I however, remained badly cut so I reached back for my bottle of red potion. I turned to Link and lifted the bottle into the air.

"Cheers" I said as I downed the red potion to its dregs.

~~~~~~~~Midna~~~~~~~~

Midna walked the corridors of the palace of twilight slowly. After talking with Mitaku she had used all her pent up frustration to make those foul beasts wish they were never born. She looked up at the ceiling, smiling as she passed by.

"There are still entrails stuck to the walls." She said to one of the twili who was cleaning the sides of the room with care.

"Of coarse princess" he spluttered, blushing slightly as the princess critiqued his work before tuning back to the walls.

Midna walked to the nearest window to gaze at the sunset. Far below she could see twili marching on steadily to the palace. No doubt they were coming to seek shelter from the beasts. Midna's hand instinctively fell to her throat, searching for her charm to ease her thoughts. It was not there. Hysterically, Midna searched her brain for any reason she may have removed it, or any time it may have somehow fallen off. It was a couple of minutes before Midna remembered that Mitaku had locked away her treasures from the realm of light. Slowly, her heart rate dropped to a safe level and her breathing evened out, but aggravation creased the twilight princess' face. Curse her. Midna returned to the window to watch the last drop of sun set on the horizon.

"_Link… wherever you are… please be safe and be happy."_ A solitary tear dripped down her cheek and landed on the windowsill. _"Goddesses know I am neither right now."_

~~~~~~~~Lake Hylia~~~~~~~~

Link tossed a stick into the fire before sitting down again. He watched Zelda pace around the fire while talking to herself. He had managed to catch something about the sages and magic. Not unusual things to be talking about when you were the princess. Finally Zelda plopped down across the fire from Link and let out a heavy sigh.

_Either this news will be really good or really bad._

"Link I need you to find some things for me" Zelda said.

Link rolled his eyes dramatically causing the princess to laugh on punch him lightly on the shoulder. "Here" he laughed, rubbing his shoulder "mark the places on my map and I'll be back in a few days."

A guilty look crossed Zelda's face. "Actually Link… it may take you more than a few days." Link just stared at her with his piercing ice blue gaze leaving the princess short on breath. Feeling a blush spread across her face, Zelda coughed and looked away saying "first you need to talk to the sages. They can tell you where to find the fourth fused shadow." Zelda reached over Link to grab his map hoping that her heartbeat wasn't as audible as she thought it was. She unrolled the map and pointed to 5 places across hyrule. "There are also some glass tears containing magic spread across the land. You need to find them. One is in Ordon, two are in the Faron Forest, one is in Kakariko village, one is in Lake hylia and the last is Hidden in the Zora's Domain."

"Wait…" Link said shaking his head lightly. "Glass tears?"

Zelda sighed "Yes."

"Tell me what all of this is for" Link demanded, staring into Zelda's eyes. The princess squirmed under the intensity of his gaze. She tried to look away but couldn't. It was like the hero had some magic in is gaze that held her eyes to his.

"We need to cross into the twilight realm to find out what's going on there. The sages have informed me that darkness is seeping across the void."

It was almost too easy to see Link's thoughts turn to Midna. His eyes sparkled deep within their crystal blue depths, a stupid looking grin plastered itself across his face and his pointed ears perked up a bit. Oh yes Zelda knew exactly what he was thinking about. Link was thinking about seeing Midna again.

"Link…" the princess said, grabbing the hero's hand. Link blushed and tried to reclaim his hand gently but Zelda's grip remained firm. "Link" she said again "tell me what Midna means to you. And don't lie to me… Do you love her?" Zelda could feel Link's heart rate pick up and the flush in his cheeks spread to the rest of his face. After a few awkward minutes spent with Zelda holding the hero's hand, she knew he would never tell her so she changed the subject.

"You will be needing help to find the tears and navigate the dungeons." Zelda said, releasing Link's hand and picking up her harp. The princess started to play again, her fingers flowing gracefully across the strings. When she finished a bright yellow and gold light flashed before them blinding both. Link automatically lifted his hand to block the bright light. The glow slowly started to dissipate, revealing a beautiful woman with ivory skin. She had a thin piece of fabric tied loosely around her waist and a tattoo of a vine on one arm. She was topless but by some stroke of magic her teal hair covered every inch of her body that was considered unsuitable to be seen in public. Pearly wings fanned out majestically from her back and she smiled when she saw the hero. Link grinned back in acknowledgement. He knew exactly who she was.

"Link" Zelda said standing to bow to the woman. "Allow me to introduce the Great Fairy."

"We have met" the Great Fairy said, her voice sounding like the tinkling of millions of bells. "He came to test his strength in the cave of ordeals."

Zelda looked at the hero in awe. No one ever returned from the cave of ordeals. This proved just how strong Link was. She tore her gaze away from the hero to face the Great Fairy who, much to the princess's displeasure, was smirking at her. Zelda frowned and said "Link needs a companion to aid him in his quest… someone who is reliable, strong and can easily help track down magic."

The great Fairy pursed her lips thoughtfully. She sat down at the edge of the lake, submerging her feet in the cool water. "The only one who could handle such a task would be a fairy." The queen of fairies narrowed her eyes at the princess "and not only that but you need a fairy of the royal family, a fairy who is a descendant of the ones who served the Great Deku Tree."

Zelda nodded firmly, keeping her stare even with the Great Fairy's. After a short silence the Great Fairy chuckled "you ask much of me Princess Zelda! I would attend to your request and go with the hero myself but seeing as I have a kingdom to govern I am a little busy." She waved a hand lazily through the air and within moments thousands upon thousands of fairies had appeared at the queen's request. Link stared in awe at the hundreds of brightly glowing orbs that flew around his head greeting him with a series of tinkling sounds. The Great Fairy waved her hand through the air again saying "Hush children hush." Once the last fairy has silenced itself the Queen spoke again. "These are my children" the fairy said proudly, dividing her loving gaze between every single one. She beckoned with a finger and a fairy whizzed up to her. This fairy was the only one that glowed blue among the others that glowed pink or white.

"She is the only royal fairy amongst my children" said the Great Fairy, holding out her hand for her daughter to settle herself in. "All the others are healing fairies who would rather spend their time lazing about the Light spirits' springs than rule over all fairies as their king or queen. So I shall send my only heir with you on your journey." The blue fairy turned red with what Link assumed to be anger. The fairy argued with her mother for several seconds before sighing and flying over to perch herself on the hero's shoulder. "Be warned" said the Great Fairy, a dark presence entering her voice. "Should something happen to my precious daughter you will not be spared any of my wrath."

Link shuddered slightly at the thought as Zelda turned to the little blue fairy on his shoulder. "What is her name?" the princess asked, holding out her hand for the fairy to rest on.

The Great Fairy giggled slightly as she addressed Zelda. "Let her tell you herself! She speaks hylian very well!"

Link turned his head to his fairy and asked her name. Wings tickled his ear as the fairy rose from his shoulder and flew around his face to look him in the eye.

"My name is Navi" she said as if that fact was obvious "and I don't like you."

Link gaped at her as Navi flew back to his shoulder and sat down. (He assumed she sat. Link couldn't really see what she looked like under the blinding blue glow.) The great fairy turned her attention to the hero as he grumbled to himself about his new companion.

"Take care of her and yourself" she said, her form starting to dissolve into thin air. "I will be watching over you. Should you need healing, my children at the light spirits spring would be happy to oblige." The queen of fairies disappeared in a shower of gold sparkles along with her children leaving the princess and her hero sitting in complete shock.

Navi rose up from her perch again and started to fly around the fire. "Finally!" she cried, landing on the ground in front of Link. "I've always wanted to see what was outside the palace walls!" Navi flew back to her spot on Link's shoulder "mother must be very concerned about the fate of this land. Otherwise she wouldn't have let me even come here." The hero exchanged a worried glance with the princess before either moved from their positions. Navi merely resumed taking the outside world in as she flew around above their heads. Zelda coughed to get the young hero's attention.

"You should get some rest." She said before turning her head away. "I would help you find all of the tears but I've already been away from the palace for long enough. If I don't return I'll set the castle into a panic."

Link laughed quietly at this "yea…I can almost imagine the look on Farore's face when you come stumbling into the palace looking like that." Zelda looked down at herself: her clothes were bloodstained, muddy and torn. It was nothing a simple repairing spell couldn't fix. But she would have to wait until her magic replenished itself. Zelda had used it all in healing Link.

"Well I'm going to get some sleep before heading out" The blonde looked up at Navi as he spoke. "And I think you should do that same" he told her when the fairy continued to fly around frantically. "You're coming with me so you should get some sleep as well. I can't have my partner half asleep if we end up in deep trouble with some bulbins."

Navi muttered something unintelligible as she floated down to look the hero in the eye. "What do you suggest I sleep in?" she demanded, poking Link in the nose with a tiny finger. "I'll have you know I won't sleep on the ground."

Link swiped at the fairy hoping to spend her spiraling away from him but she dodged it with ease. She snorted and grabbed the tip of Link's pointed hat, pulling it of his head effortlessly. "Never mind I'll just sleep in this."

The disguised princess yawned. "Mind if I share your fire?" she asked. The hero shook his head and Zelda presented him with one of her two bedrolls. "I know you forgot yours." She explained as the blonde looked at her curiously. He accepted the bedroll and sat down to take off his boots and gauntlets. Link snatched his hat out of Navi's grasp and spread it out for her to sleep in. The fairy flew into the opening in his hat and curled up on her side. After a while Link realized that her glow had faded. Worried he checked on the little fairy to see if she was okay. Navi was sound asleep and snoring softly. Her glow had only slightly faded and, seeing Link's concern, Zelda came over to sit by the hero's side.

"That happens when they sleep" said the princess, resting her head on her hand.

Link stared at his fairy. Now that her glow had subsided he could see her every feature. Her skin was the same crystal clear blue as Link's own eyes and her hair was a lighter sky blue. Navi's bangs fanned out regally to further accent her blue mid back locks. To the hero's dismay she was totally nude and Link blushed looking at her. But, same as her mother the Great Fairy, she seemed to lack parts that Hylians considered unsuitable to be showing in public. Recovering Navi and still blushing, Link backed away slowly and crawled inside his bedroll. Once he was situated and the color in his face had lessened the hero looked up at the sky. He was barley conscious of Zelda joining him by his side as he stargazed.

"Sooo…" she whispered, looking at Link, her gaze softening. "I have yet to meet your daughter." Link coughed and looked to the princess.

"Yea that's right you almost met her but Ilia was being pissy that day…"

"What's her name again?"

"Midia."

"Unique!" Zelda said smiling to herself. "I don't think I've ever heard of anyone having a name like that."

"Actually…" Link said recalling holding his daughter for the first time. "Her name is the result of putting Midna and Ilia together."

Zelda grinned evilly in the dark. _"Yes! He's opening up" _she thought.

He chuckled to himself "It was either Midia or Ilda."

"Wow… you are so committed to remembering Midna you base your child's name off of hers."

"Yea…" Link trailed off. Letting his thoughts wander.

She started to talk to him about everything that had happened over the years. They shared stories like old friends long into the night. Eventually Zelda passed out of exhaustion _"Do I love Midna?" _Link thought to himself, over and over again, remembering what Zelda had asked him. The last thing he saw before slipping into unconsciousness was Midna's sad eyes as she departed from the world of light.

~~~~~~~~Midna~~~~~~~~

"PRINCESS!" cried Rafero, Midna's most trusted advisor. "THE BEASTS! THEY ARE ACUMULATING AT THE GATES!"

Midna nodded to the terrified man and beckoned Mitaku to join her. "Up for a little extermination?" she asked.

Mitaku smiled the devil's smile. "Let's kick some ass" she said, taking Midna's hand before sprinting down the hall to the gateway.

~~~~~~~~Link~~~~~~~~

In his dream Link was lost.

He was lost in a forest where the trees, bushes and grass were all blue and the sky was a pale orange and yellow color. He searched frantically for the exit but none could be found. Just as he lost all hope a hand reached out from behind a tree and beckoned to him. Link walked around the tree to find Midna standing there with her trademark grin spread across her face. Link could feel tears beginning to well up in his eyes as he pulled Midna into a bone crushing hug. She rested her head on his shoulder as both cried silent tears of joy. Once Link had regained control of his emotions and dried his tears, he pulled away from Midna so he could look at her. Water sparkled at the rims of her ruby red eyes and she smiled when she saw the look of happiness on his face. Link put his hand on her cheek and Midna leaned into his touch. She placed her hand on top of his

"Link." She whispered "I… I lo-"

A flash of black and Midna lay crumpled on the ground, an arrow like thing sticking out of her back. Link couldn't believe what he was looking at. The twilight princess laid barley conscious at his feet as Zant revealed himself from behind a tree. Link hardly remembered moving but the next thing he knew he was crouched over Midna with his sword drawn, snarling at the former Usurper King. Zant cackled and disappeared leaving Link alone with Midna. Link dropped the master sword and tuned his attention to the black thing sticking out of her back. It sizzled menacingly and when Link touched it poison dripped out of its end.

"Link… help me…" Midna rasped, wincing in pain when Link lifted her into his arms.

"Don't worry…" he said trying to contain his anger and sadness. "We will find someone! I won't let you die." Link felt Midna's heart beat unevenly as her eyelids began to droop. His heart began to rip in two, watching his beloved Midna begin to die. Suddenly, her heart started to race and she opened her eyes.

"LINK WAKE UP!" she screamed as she shook him. "WAKE UP, WAKE up, wake up, wake…up…" Midna's voice faded into silence when Link opened his eyes.

He saw Zelda bent over him, worry creased on her face. "Where you having a nightmare?" she asked.

"Yea…" Link sighed whipping the sweat off of his forehead. He looked around. It was still dark out but by the look of the orange light in the distance the hero could tell it was almost morning. He shook the remains of his nightmare out of his head and began groping around in the dark for his boots. Letting out a small smile of success, Link put on his boots and began searching for his gloves. Link swatted his hat aside in his search waking Navi. The fairy lifted herself out of the hat slowly and turned red.

"MOTHER OF THE GODDESSES!" she screamed, her normal blue glow fully replaced by a red one. Apparently Navi was not a morning person. But her light was all that Link needed to find his MIA gloves and reclaim his hat. The fairy continued to swear and curse at the hero, flying around and occasionally stopping to punch or kick him in the head. Link ignored Navi and packed his belongings. He handed the bedroll he had borrowed to Zelda and sighed.

"Well I will see you as soon as I find all the tears and the fourth fused shadow." He said looking at his map to make sure they didn't miss anything. He tucked the map away in his pocket and was about to speak when Zelda threw herself at him.

"Don't do anything stupid…" she whispered into Link's hair. "It could be much more dangerous this time."

Link was thankful the sun hadn't risen yet. Otherwise Zelda would have seen the hero's face go totally red. She released Link from her embrace only to pull him closer to her once more. But instead of hugging the poor guy she kissed him. Hard. Even Navi ceased her complaining in shock. Link was so surprised he couldn't even move, Zelda gave him no room to breathe and he was just now realizing what every soft blushing look the princess had ever given him meant. Zelda molded her lips around Link's unmoving ones trying to get him to interact. When the princess finally broke for air Link raised his hands in front of his face to block her. The hero grabbed her hands and slowly twisted his way out of Zelda's grasp before turning away. His heart felt like it was about to explode and his face was as red as blood.

"Sorry Princess" Link said as he walked away. "But there is someone else in the twilight realm that I'm searching for.

~~~~~~~~Midna~~~~~~~~

Standing at the gates to the palace of twilight Midna watched Mitaku focus her magic at one of the snarling beasts. Midna was currently using all her power to block the creatures' entrance into the palace. Mitaku shot a ball of white light into the center of the mass of beasts. The ball exploded causing several creatures to fall the ground, dead. Midna could feel the malice of the monsters as they stared at her friend, screeching their anger. The sound broke the concentration of both Midna and Mitaku causing the girls to fall to the ground with their hands over their ears. Midna's shield spell faltered and the creatures began flooding the gates in a mad attempt to destroy Mitaku. The girl began to frantically shoot a ball of light at each beast that neared her but this only increased their anger. Midna swirled her fused shadows about her to draw out their power. Since she had departed from the light realm without the one Ganondorf had taken from her she could no longer multiply her ancestral magic to its fullest extent. Instead she morphed the fused shadows into a sword and sprinted over to her friend to help stave off the monsters. She slashed through anything that approached her. She could remember Link using his seven secret skills to handle even the largest of armies with ease. If he were here these monsters would not have a chance. _"NO Midna. Don't think like that. He's not coming to save you. You are NOT Zelda. You will REFUSE to be a damsel in distress!" _Suddenly Midna had an idea.

"MITA" the princess shouted to her friend. Mitaku grunted in response, continuing to defend herself from the onslaught of monsters. "MITA I NEED YOU TO FORM A SHEILD SPELL" Midna shouted, slicing a beast in half. "I HAVE AN IDEA!"

Mitaku immediately dropped her offensive position and raised a shield spell holding it in place with difficulty. "MIMI I CAN'T HOLD IT VERY LONG!"

Midna raised her sword high above her head and focused every last drop of her power into it. She remembered how Link had swung his blade through the air with ease, the Mastersword's power ricocheting off of multiple opponents. The jump strike was what the hero of time had called it. Once all her power had been focused into the fused shadow sword, Midna launched herself through the air in the same second Mitaku lost control of her shield. The princess swung her blade through the air the exact same way Link had and brought it down across the head of an oncoming creature. The magical power the sword had built up exploded out in every direction, whipping out every beast that was in the courtyard. Green goo erupted from each monster coating the floor and the two girls. Mitaku stared at her princess in awe as Midna fell to her hands and knees her weapon taking the shape of fused shadows once more. She gasped for breath while Mitaku helped her to her feet.

"Where did you learn THAT?" the mage asked her princess, removing some goo that covered her face with one hand. Midna looked out over the battle field to ensure that every monster had been destroyed.

"In the world of light" she said simply. Mitaku flinched at the pain that lingered in Midna's voice but the princess continued. "I learned it from him."

Mitaku wisely decided to drop the subject as she limped with the princess down the halls to inform the people of the outcome of their fight.

**OK PEOPLE! READ AND REVIEW! If you have trouble picturing Navi I think she looks a little like this… ****.com/watch?v=IqY22m93Yqk**

**The best picture is about 2:24 in. It's getting a little confusing so feel free to ask me anything. Soo that it! Until the next chapter! Expect it to be even later than this one was because school starts soon! As in tomorrow… XP bleh. But I did get started an it earlier! My editor took a while to go over this one. Luvs ya rissy!**


	5. Ilia tries to score a goal

**EDIT! **

**WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SLIGHTLY M CONTENT! WARNING! BELIEVE ME IT DOES NOT GO ALL THE WAY. It's justa close call! XD**

**Well well well! here we are with another chapter! sorry it's so short but i wanted to cut off at a certain point and everything that lead up to it ended up being... short. **

**But anywho I'm back on track with being ahead on my chapters since my editor (Yes i needs me an editor so catch all my spelling and grammer oopsies.) was on vacation and had no computer to edit my crappy pieces. LOVE YOU RISSY! XD**

**so just an fyi expect the next couple chappies to be late. Even if i started them early (Which i did! im working on chapter twelve! only cause i got bored with chapters 9 and 6...) i have been deinied my computer on account of leaving my phone somewhere undetectable. yes as we speak i am sitting in my basement praying no one catches me keeping you all up to date. sorry! i'll try not to do that in the future!**

**So lets see here... i dont own legend of zelda... if i did i would do my happy dance for a whole week sraight. that would not be a pretty sight. but so far i do own... Mitaku... Farore...That one girl i never gave a name (You know... the one i had get hit in the shoulder with a poision barb? i should really apologixe for that by giving her a much deserved name.), Rafero, Karone! (no wait her comes in later... NVM I DIDN't say that!). i think thats all of them...**

**so someone shut me up so you can get to reading this chapter!**

**NOW!**

**now**

**now?**

**Now!**

Link walked across one of the many footbridges that connected the shores of Lake Hylia. The hero wiped his mouth vigorously and rubbed his tongue on the back of his hand. Navi just laughed at the blonde nearly falling out of the sky on some occasions.

"YOU SHOULDA SEEN YOUR FACE!" she squealed when she landed on Link's shoulder. "You also should have seen that coming!" she sighed, wiping a tear from her eye. "She'd been making Goo-Goo eyes at you all last night." Link blushed further as he swatted the fairy off of his shoulder sending her sailing off across the lake. After a few moments spent trying to negotiate a trip up to the top of Lake Hylia, Navi had flown back to her partner.

"Jesus man you need to control your anger." She reclaimed her place on the hero's shoulder as he prepared to be shot out of the miniature sky cannon.

"Sit inside my hat and don't come out until we arrive at the top of the cliff" said the hero ungracefully changing the subject.

"I have wings you know! I can fly."  
"Not fast enough to get started as soon as possible" he retorted as he took off his hat and tried to shove the fairy inside. Navi stuck out her tongue and flew into the hat as Link placed it back onto his head. He walked into the cannon's front entrance, hoping Fyer didn't slam the door behind his as he always did. The door swung shut with tremendous force sending Link and Navi flying into the opposite wall. From inside Link's hat Navi started to tremble.

"Uh Link I wanna get of…" she whimpered a little too late. Link braced himself for the launch as the ignition device in the canon went off sending boy and fairy flying through the sky at top speed. Navi screamed as many curse words as she could think of, holding on to the hair under the boy's hat. The platform on the cliff he was to land on came into view and the hero rolled on impact. He stood removing his hat for Navi to fly around but she didn't move. Link put a hand to his head searching for Navi but he earned a bite to his finger from the disgruntled fairy.

"DO…NOT…TOUCH…ME…" she whispered into the hero's ear causing him to flinch away from her hot breath on his neck. "I NEED To calm down…"

Link shrugged and walked out the front door that lead to hyrule field ignoring the flamboyantly dressed man selling tickets to the lake bottom via gliding cuccos. Navi slowly released her death grip on Link's head as he played Epona's song on the horse call Ilia had given him. Link shuddered at the thought of his wife. She would skin him alive when he arrived in Ordon to retrieve his clawshot and iron boots. She probably would have been waiting at the gate to the village for the whole night. Link's mind wandered to Zelda as He mounted Epona and put his hat back on. When Zelda kissed him about a half hour ago, Link had realized he defiantly did not love the princess. But to shake off the embarrassment of Zelda's sudden affection he had told her he was looking for someone in the twilight realm. The hero blushed at his declaration. He could have said he was married. That would have done the exact same thing but instead he told Zelda he loved the twilight princess.

"_What the hell is wrong with me?"_ Link thought shaking his head and disturbing Navi, who was still firmly attached to his skull. The fairy snarled at him but still refused to come out of his hat to view her surroundings. The hero could have walked into a bandit camp, gotten killed and Navi wouldn't have batted a wing. Link urged Epona into a lope, passing over the bridge in the southern-most part of hyrule field. He made his way through Faron woods, ignoring the strange man that sold oil. Suddenly Navi reached out from under Link's hat and pulled his ear to stop. The hero was painfully reminded of Midna. She had used to do that when he was in wolf form. "Link I feel the presence of strange magic" Navi said slowly as if she wasn't quite sure. "It's coming from the spring."

Nearing Ordon spring he felt a disturbance in the balance of power that coated the spirit's stones. Dismounting Epona, Link walked to the upper ledge that the Spirit Stones rested on. The hero saw a small glittering object resting in the crystal clear water. But as the boy tried to jump to the ledge to retrieve the shining item he realized the current prevented him from getting a good enough grip. Standing directly under the flow of water, Link was soaked through to the bone within seconds. Navi let out a high pitched shriek from his hat and zipped right out to fly around Epona.

"You want to know what I think of this partnership?" she said ringing the water out of one butterfly-like wing. "I think you are a fucking retard who is incapable of admitting his feelings for a girl." Link's face must have betrayed his shock for Navi smiled and continued "I think this mission had absolutely no point! Sure darkness" Navi rolled her eyes at the word "is seeping across the void but all you can think of is this girl you USED to tell the princess off!" Link began to shudder with rage. He had the unmistakable urge to sink his teeth into the fairy and rip her apart. That was not usually the path the hero would take.

"Goddesses grant me a flyswatter" he whispered as Navi continued her rant all the way through the woods to the entrance to Ordon village. The hero suddenly froze and clamped a hand around the fairy. He held his hand over her (or what he assumed to be) her mouth and shushed her. Feeling Link's concern Navi silenced herself and wiggled out of the hero's grasp. She flew above the ground to scout out the area for an enemy. Link sat hidden in a bush until Navi returned from her brief scouting.

"Link no one is here" she said, her glow stifled for stealth. "What did you stop for?"

"HER" Link said pointing. Navi turned her head to follow his finger. She saw a pretty young woman walking out the door with a small child in tow. The woman looked to the gate with unmasked anger filling her eyes. She said something to the little girl but Link was to far away to hear.

"Navi follow them" He whispered to the fairy. "Find out what Ilia's saying."

"First you tell me who she is." Navi said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Link sighed, regretting even bringing her along. "She's my wife" flinching at Navi's outburst of laughter "Shush!" He whispered desperately hoping Ilia hadn't heard "Navi be quiet! Ilia might hear yo-"

Link broke off as the leaves in the bush parted to reveal his wife and daughter looking at him strangely. Link sat with his knees drawn to his chest hiding in a bush talking with a fairy that was in hysterics. They had the right to look at him like he was crazy. But the first to recover from the shock was Midia for she launched herself at him yelling "DADDY!" the girl attached herself around her father's waist and laughed, telling him in a series of rushed words how much she had missed him. Link rose to his feet swinging his daughter onto his back and ran into the village completely avoiding talking to his wife. Once he arrived the hero was greeted by the villagers who all had gathered by the dock to enjoy the day's warmth and go swimming. Link let Midia crawl off of his back and run to join the other children. Rusl walked over with Uli and their newest daughter Sasha.

"My boy!" Rusl boomed clapping the hero on the shoulder "Off on another trip to castle town I presume?"

"Yeah" said Link, waving to Colin and his little brother Roy. "I just got back from an audience with the princess. She's sent me out to find magical artifacts that some ancient civilization left behind." Link hated to lie to his friends like that but it was better than the real reason he was running around hyrule. "I came back for some things I left behind. I defiantly didn't think I would be sent out on a mission!"

Link could feel Ilia's eyes boring into his back as he talked to villagers. Rusl laughed at his jokes and the children demanded that he played with them. It was like every other day in the village. The only thing that made Link cringe was his wife's anger radiating off of her in waves. At one point the hero thought she might attack him right then and there. Finally after about a half hour Ilia had had enough. She grabbed him by the arm and excused them. She dragged him up to the house all the while Link casting terrified glances over his shoulder. Finally she stopped in front of the house and spun around bringing her hand across his face in a vicious slap. She raised her hand again but Link grabbed her wrist. He stared into Ilia's green eyes with his sapphire ones. After a few moments Ilia broke down and fell to her knees crying. Link stood back and let her reign in her emotions before speaking.

"That was uncalled for" the hero said, not meeting her eyes.

Ilia rose to her feet and grabbed Link's hand pulling him towards her with strength that didn't match her frail looking form. Once he was facing her she grabbed the back of his head and brought their lips together violently.

"_AGAIN with this shit?" _Link thought as the initial shock of Ilia's sudden friendliness started to ware off. As apposed to Zelda's kiss which had been rough but respectful, Ilia did not make any attempt to restrain herself. She slid her tongue into his mouth and tried to use it to get Link to interact; she chewed his bottom lip until it started to bleed and she even started to unbutton the front of her shirt. Link's eyes widened with alarm and he slid his palms onto Ilia's shoulders in an attempt to push her off. Instead she broke the kiss and used all the force she could muster to push him into the bush on his back. Link lost all his breath when he hit the ground and he didn't have enough time to escape before Ilia had sat upon his stomach with her legs straddling him.

**WARNINGNESS! KISSING IS FINE! HORNY ILIAS ARE NOT!**

"Link you owe me this." She whispered into his ear sending shivers down his spine. She began to undo his belt buckle and tried to force the hero's tunic over his head while she licked the blood off of his lip. Link had had enough of this. First the princess of hyrule was forcing herself on him and now THIS? Everything in the hero's mind screamed to regain his breath and get her off of him. But his body disagreed, becoming a little more excited by the second much to Ilia's amusement.

_**It's safe now kiddies. Link shall not be a… perv… I guess.**_

Finally the blonde reclaimed his breath and forced the girl of off him. He sat up, pushing Ilia back so she eventually had to crawl off his stomach and sit facing him. Link edged away from her so they could talk.

"Ilia" He said looking round for his tunic. The only thing covering his chest now was and undershirt and his chainmail. "This is a horrible idea. First, the villagers are around the corner. They would hear us. Second, our daughter is over there and I don't want her walking in on us ever! Third…" Link sighed. _"Just say it!"_ he thought _"I'm not sure I love you anymore." _

"Third?" Ilia said tears welling up in her eyes.

"Third… ah…" Link thought of the best lie he could think of. "I'll be gone for a long time on this mission. These artifacts I'm gathering are serious and I need to focus on them."

Tears fell from Ilia's eyes as she stood and whipped around to stalk over to the house. "Fine leave but don't come back!" she cried as she slammed the door behind her.

Link sat on the ground to reclaim his composure. He forced himself to calm down before grabbing his tunic and bringing it over his head. He found his belt under some leaves by a tree. When he turned them over he saw a soft blue glow.

"What the hell?" Link grabbed the fairy by one wing and lifted her into the air to dangle in front of his nose, "Navi? What in the goddesses name are you doing under there?"

"You would think I'm creepy if I told you" she said, struggling to pull her wing from Link's grasp.

"Oh shit seriously?" the hero growled at his fairy "you were sitting there watching that whole thing and you didn't even think to help me?"

"MOTHER FUCKER!" she snarled at the blonde as he shook her slightly "SHIT HEAD YOUR GONNA RIP MY WING OFF!" Link turned his back and snorted, tossing her over his shoulder into the pile of leaves she had been hiding in. "For a fairy who is the heir to a throne you sure have no problem cussing out everyone near you. Navi thanks to this 'mishap' I've been locked out of my house and I need the weapons that are in there!" the hero sat back down in the bush to look at the fairy who was massaging the wing Link had pulled. She gazed up at him with unmasked hatred spreading across her face. She rose into the air and fluttered an inch in front of his nose. She clenched her eyelids together tightly as she balled her small hands into fists. Link started to say something but never finished for Navi's eyes shot open and revealed the fairy was crying.

"I HATE YOU!" she screamed while her tiny fist connected with the hero's face. Even though she was small Navi was extremely strong. The force of her punch sent Link flying backward into the hard soil. She hovered above his face letting her hair tickle his nose. "Nothing but bad things happen around you" she said to his face. "I'm hardly 2 inches tall though once I become great fairy after my mother I will become big. When THAT happens let me tell you mister. I will not be there to help you scout for enemies or help you find magical things or heal you. Let me say this simply so you will understand. I. HATE. YOU. GET THE PICTURE?"

Navi flew off in the direction of the spirit's spring leaving the hero of twilight to lie in the dirt. Link ran a hand through his untidy hair. He sat up slowly and stared after Navi. He couldn't gather the tears without her. He couldn't repair the mirror of twilight. He couldn't…see…Midna again.

"_Without her I can't see Midna again"_ thought Link as he stood. _"I need her to help me finish this." _He walked slowly through the forest to the spring where he saw the blue fairy sitting on the shore. Her glow was fully extinguished and at first Link thought she had been injured. Then the hero realized she was crying. Her legs were

Submerged in the spring's water and she held her head in her hands. Hearing Link she stifled her sobs and lifted her head to look forward. Link sighed and sat down beside her. An awkward silence spread on for the next few minutes. Finally the hero gently grabbed Navi around her waist with two fingers and lifted her into his palm. Somewhere in the back of his mind he noticed she blushed slightly as she pulled her knees to her chest. She refused to meet his sapphire eyes with her turquoise ones.

"Navi…" Link said turning her in his hand so she was facing him. "Navi you aren't glowing."

In an instant her glow had returned but it was red. Link had figured out early this meant she was mad. But in the same instant she started to laugh and glow bright yellow.

"Idiot" she said with a giggle. "My glow reflects my mood."

"No kidding" the hero teased placing the fairy on his shoulder.

"Yeah. It's weird. Let me explain. Red is angry, yellow is happy, green is excited and white is confused."

"Navi you weren't glowing just now… what does that mean?"

She sighed "Means I'm sad..."

"Navi I'm sorry I was mad at you. You didn't deserve it."

"Link I… thank you."

"So do you want to sneak in to my house to get the clawshot and iron boots or do we wait and relax?"

"Relaaax" Navi sighed leaning back. "We should go play with the village kids some more. And you daughter seems cute."

"Sounds good to me!" Link said, standing up and walking off in the direction of the village.

"Link?"

"Yea Navi?"

"…Never mind."

~~~~~~~~Navi~~~~~~~~

I don't really hate him.

I just hate the way he makes me feel.

Like I have…butterflies in my stomach.

And when he looks at me I feel like I can't fly anymore.

I guess it would be the same as humans saying they feel they can fly but I'm not applicable to that. I have wings after all.

He's so butt-headed though. When I first laid eyes on him I knew I was going to have a hard time working with him. He can't tell when a girl has affections for him. Zelda was so obvious it was almost sickening to watch her flirt and him ignore it unconsciously. I know I don't have a chance which makes it all the more frustrating. But I find myself trying desperately to get closer, to feel his tunic under my feet when I'm too tired to fly, to hide under his hat when I don't want to be seen and to smell his golden hair. He smells better than any flower in the desert. I mean… come on! But he's a total catch… and a ladies man. He has a wife leaving hints at every move, the princess of hyrule stealing kisses, girls practically tripping over themselves when we passed through hyrule field and a stupid fairy princess who didn't know what she was in for. But I could tell by the look in is eyes when he spoke of or even heard about this Twilight Princess named Midna. It was a sudden softness in his fierce sapphire blue gaze that was so unexpected it made me lose my breath. I mean… think straight Navi! Could you be any more stupid? Of coarse he has a girl in mind… it's just how life works out for you. UGH WHY COULDN'T I BE A GODDESS DAMN HEALING FAIRY? I didn't want to be royalty. I wanted to see the world! When the Great Fairy before mother stepped down there were fairy fountains scattered through out the land. She had made sure anyone who needed to be healed could come to a fountain and possibly hang on to life a little longer. But mother…she changed everything. Prior to my birth mother had taken all the fairy fountains and hid them deep within the cave of ordeals. But I heard stories from elder fairies…they told me of the times when we had been free to chose our own paths. But now we were all locked away. It was dreadful. My brothers and sisters… why could they be the only ones to lead a carefree life? All the lessons I had to go to. Many times I had tried to escape my fate by honing my skills in magic and trying to break open the door that sealed us in. Mother's paranoia suffocated me and I cried out to the heavens for some kind of blessing to penetrate those disgusting hallways. Then one day, mother began to act strangely. She second guessed herself, she broke out into random cold sweats, and she even attacked guards with her magic. When Zelda called on us she took everyone out of the cave in the blink of an eye. She talked with the princess so calmly, like nothing had happened. I only hoped everything was alright, though nothing shocked me more than when she sent me with them. Mother never even let me play with my friends for fear I would get hurt. Something must be wrong with the cave of ordeals. That's the only thing I can think of. But nothing bad could possibly happen. Mother has 50 floors of monsters guarding the main hall. The only way to open the doors is if all creatures have been destroyed and Link barley came through alive. For now I can enjoy my freedom with him. What could go wrong?


	6. Shifting Sand and the Ocarina of Time

_**Hiya! So I have been ungroundified! Yea mom accidentally threw my 'lost' phone in the back of the car (We was on a road trip!) and it landed in a present for a friend of ours. So they didn't open it till after we left bbut when they did there was my phone. Mom still blames me for it though… she likes to do that but besides that! Here it is! Chapter ….. six!  
I don't own legend of Zelda or it's songs… YOU HEAR ME? I OWN NOTHING! *sniff*. But hwat I do own is Mitaku, Farore and Rafero. And the Serenade of Shifting Sand. (Haha i know something that you dont!)**_

**_Also i just realzed i posted this on 9/11..._**

**_moment of silence is appreciated... _**

**_..._**

**_..._**

**_..._**

**_thank you..._**

**_but on a happier note..._**

**_Also thanks to my editor for being so rockin! LUV YOU RISSY! RETURN TO _ AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!_**

**_and thanks to her you all just lost the game!_**

**_so read!_**

**_now!_**

_**GO!**_

Gathering the tears hadn't been as hard as was expected. To Link everything had come with a catch. But since Ganondorf's demise monsters had since been a rarity. At each of the glass tear locations there were no traps laying in wait, no monsters that needed to be slayed, no elaborate puzzle to keep the hero from moving forward until solved. The only thing that made it difficult was the location of each one. Whatever was invading Hyrule, it wanted it's presence to remain secret. But what frustrated Link was the unknown location of a sixth tear the princess had not mentioned. Navi had sensed it once Link claimed tear buried under the water fall in zora's domain. Of coarse it would have been easier to do if the hero had had the zora armor. But it didn't feel right to keep it. After all it was an artifact the zora's had treasured for years. It took the hero a couple tries to effectively claim the glass orb. To top it all of Link was tired, half drowned, and very edgy and Navi didn't wait long enough to tell him of the existence of the sixth. The hero had grabbed his fairy and shoved her under the water in an attempt at torture. In return she had swore at him and flown off in another huff. It took Link almost a whole day to convince her he was sorry. In the end Navi forgave him, but she wanted something from him in return. Throughout the whole journey she had been appalled at the idea of bottling healing fairies for future use. Link had to release them all before she had even considered hearing him speak. So here they were now, using Navi's senses to trace a rouge glass tear. It was leading them straight to castle town as well.

"_Great…"_ Link thought to himself spitefully. _"What do I have to do, wrestle it out of the hands of some civilian?"_ the hero urged Epona into a full blown gallop, eager to end his search. When he reached the drawbridge that lead to castle town he was surprised to see a man standing in the middle, unmoving. Squinting to see in the darkness, Link saw it was Zelda disguised as her alter ego Sheik. He felt his face flush at the thought of his parting words to her after she kissed him. Hoping the princess couldn't see his face all that well; he dismounted Epona and picked up Navi who had fallen asleep on the ride. He walked up to the princess, cradling the fairy in the crook of one arm.

"Hello Princess Zel-"

A look of alarm crossed Zelda's mostly covered face. She clamped her hand firmly across the hero's mouth and whispered in his ear, "SHHHHHH! No one must know their princess walks among them. Refer to me as Sheik when you see me like this."

Link swallowed and removed Zelda's; pardon Sheik's hand from his mouth. "Sorry… Sheik?" When Sheik nodded her appreciation Link continued. "After Navi and I found the fifth tear…" Link held out the five glass orbs. "She said she sensed another one. A sixth."

"Well that's to be expected since there are more than five in this world."

The hero gaped at his incognito princess. "Wha-wha-WHAT?"

Navi jolted awake when Link started to yell. She flew around madly before slamming into Link's face in confusion. The hero caught her before she fell to the ground and placed her gingerly on his shoulder. She sat down calmly and crossed her legs in an attempt to play off her embarrassment.

"What do you mean there's more than five…?" the hero whispered.

"There are seven" Sheik said coolly. You have six."

Link stared at her, confusion spreading across his tanned face. "I ha-"

"YOU HAVE SIX!" Sheik said through gritted teeth "Oh you idiot." The princess reached down his shirt causing the hero to blush and retrieved his charm. In a quick fluid movement she pulled the chord so the clasp in the back broke and held it in front of him. "This is the sixth" she sneered waving the glass tear in front of the hero's face. "Could you really not figure it out? Her magic is manifested inside this glass tear."

Link grabbed for his charm only to be shoved away by the princess. "Yes so I'll need it for later."

Sheik continued her game of keep away, smiling under the bandages. "Alright Link… you can have it back. But you can't have the seventh one because I have it."

Link rolled his eyes as Sheik paced his necklace back in his hand. "Fine when can I have it?"

"Hmmmmmmm… Sheik said pursing her lips and tapping her nail on the side of the bridge. "Find the fourth fused shadow and then come talk to me. I need to study this thing more."

Link sighed in relief. He had been sure the princess would take advantage of the situation and ask for something…personal. He thanked her and remounted Epona taking off before she could ask for anything else. When he turned to look back he saw her sitting on a rocky ledge near the bridge. She was playing the enchanted harp that she used to heal his broken nose. A golden light seemed to radiate from the instrument as she played a melancholy song that almost brought him to tears before he looked away and rode on.

Navi flew beside Link while talking with him. They were trying to decide how they would get to Gerudo Mesa without the power of the warp portals which still haunted the sky.

"I'll have to go all the way through arbiters grounds again" Link cringed at the idea of fighting his way through skeletons and dead things. He longed for Midna to be at his side so he could use the portals again. _"But that's not the only reason you want her back"_ said a voice in his head. There was no arguing with that. It wasn't the only reason he wanted Midna by his side once more. But Midna had been manipulative, unfriendly and unpleasant to be around when she was mad. But in the end he had grown to care for her…a-as a friend! Navi was certainly similar to his dear friend in more ways than one. She was easily aggravated, unfriendly and definitely unpleasant to be around when she was mad. But somehow his relationship differed between the two. Wouldn't he feel the same way since they both treated him the same way? He didn't even notice when Navi stood on the end of his nose and looked him straight in the eye.

"LINK!"

Link looked up and nearly fell of Epona. The fairy giggled quietly before regaining her composure. "Link you didn't hear what I said did you."

"Ah…no?"

Navi just laughed. "I said I can use a warp spell to take us to the cave of ordeals so we won't have to take the sky canon."

Link smiled mischievously "oh I really don't mind the sky canon. In fact we should take it!"

Navi's glow started shifting to red as Link went on about how much of a baby she was. Then suddenly she shot a bolt of blue magic at the hero's face, casting her warp spell. Warping with Navi was different than warping with Midna. With Midna you felt pieces of you flying in every direction on transport. With Navi one moment he was sitting on Epona, the next he was on the first floor of the cave of ordeals. Link looked for his fairy until she whispered to him from her hiding place under his hat.

"Get out of here now."

Link obeyed and sprinted out the door. Once in the smoldering heat of the Gerudo desert he removed his hat, his tunic and his chainmail and packed them neatly in his knapsack. Navi leaned down to whisper in the boy's ear.

"Run! Something is wrong here. We have no time to waste! Run to the arbiters grounds."

Link took of across the desert, grabbing an armored boar that had been left by some bulbins. When they reached the entrance to the grounds Link knew instantly something was wrong. The stone walls of the prison were turning black and the air was filled with some kind of slightly toxic fog that once covered Faron Swamp. Navi dispelled it easily with a flick of her hand but what really bothered the hero were the five white figures huddled near the entrance. Before him was a small girl in a tunic that looked similar to his own, a goron, an old man and two women who were tall and muscular looking. When they heard him approach all five figures spun around to face the possible danger. When they realized who he was the small girl choked on a sob.

"LINK!" she cried as she ran down the steps and tackled the hero to the ground. "Link…" she cried, burying her face in his chest. "Link where have you been? It's been so long! You never came to see us. Everyone missed you… well everyone except Mido. But you don't care about that do you?"

The girl continued to cry into the hero's tunic and when he looked up he saw the goron standing over him.

"Saria let the poor boy go. He is not the man you remember."

The girl, Saria, looked up into Link's eyes. Suddenly she blushed and scrambled of off the hero as fast as she could. The goron laughed at the girl quietly before turning to the other three figures and beckoned to them.

"Come on everyone. Remember this strapping young man? He entered the twilight realm and destroyed Zant!"

At once all the other figures joined the goron at his side, they remained a distance away from him however.

The goron spoke first. "I am Duarina. I am the sage of fire and was once the leader of the gorons over one hundred years ago. This…" Duarina pointed to the old man, "This is Rauru. He is the sage of light. They are Nabooru and Impa" continued Duarina, pointing to the two women. "Nabooru is the sage of spirit and was once a member of the tribe of woman thieves called the Gerudo." Nabooru smiled at Link in a way that made the hero blush and look to Impa. "Impa is the sage of shadow and was once the leader of the Sheikah."

"Where are they sages?" asked the hero becoming impatient with the talkative goron.

"Idiot" sighed Impa. "We ARE the sages… or at least most of the sages."

Link had grown accustomed to seeing the sages as white robed men with big hats, flowing sleeves, disembodied hands and a floating mask that covered their faces. Nabooru must have seen the shock and disbelief on his face for she chuckled and said.

"Hero… you know us in our most formal of forms. It is the form we take once our powers are fully recognized and we take control of the temple that is our namesake element. Unfortunately, we were forced to evacuate the mirror chamber of the arbiter's grounds because of the evil emanating from the spot the mirror of twilight had once stood." Nabooru sighed as she played with a strand of her hair. "For that reason each of us sages is losing their grip on the temples we use to control the balance of power in Hyrule."

At that point Rauru stepped in to speak for Nabooru. "We believe this is because the sage of water has been absent for a long time." The sages bent their heads as the memory of the sage of water's death plagued them. "The boy who recived the powers of the water sage needed his mother to inform him and teach him."

"Why can't his mother help him now?" asked Link, casting a quick glance at Navi, who was continuing to dispel the poison fog with her magic. The hero could tell she was growing tired. They would need to leave soon.

Impa set her ice cold stare on Link, letting him shiver under her gaze. "His mother was Rutela. She is dead."

The boy paused, contemplating his options. "is there some way we can reinstate him as the sage of water?"  
"That is YOUR job" said Duarina as he firmly clapped Link on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over. "You need to go to the grave of the zora queen and awaken her with the offering of a fish. Once you do that, you can ask her for the medallion of water, which she carried with her at all times. Then learn to play the serenade of water to activate the medallion."

Link scratched his head "Is that a song? I don't have an instrument…"

Saria giggled. "Silly Link! You don't have one because I have to give it to you!" she pulled something blue from her pocket. It was sort of oval shaped and had small holes on the front. It could have easily fit into the palm of his hand.

"That is the Ocarina of Time" Said Rauru, plucking the ocarina from Saria's hands. "It was used by the Hero of Time to help seal away Ganondorf's reign of terror. You may use it…" the light sage held out the blue instrument for Link to take. But when the hero reached for it, Rauru pulled it away from him. "But first you must pass a test. This ocarina is a staple in the history of the goddesses. We need to know it is taken care of if it is with you."

With that, all five sages lined up tallest to shortest. Saria pulled out an ocarina of her own and played a tune that seemed familiar. The sages (except for Saria, who remained on the side playing her melody) clustered together and used their powers to form themselves into a massive white bird. The bird screeched into the sky, causing the hero to cover his ears and look away. When his eyes returned to the bird it had flown up to hover several feet above him.

"_**Hero of Twilight…"**_ it said, the voices of the sages melting into one. _**"Fight to prove your worth to us."**_

The bird extended its talons aiming for Link's head. With a quick roll to the side, the hero pulled out his sword and shield and rooted himself to the ground.

"NAVI!" he called to the fairy that was still trying to wave away the toxic fumes with her magic. "NAVI! I NEED YOU TO TARGET IT!"

Navi turned to the boy and screamed "Unless you want to pass out and die via toxic gas I can't help you!"

Link cursed under his breath and tried to shoot the bird with an arrow. The arrow bounced off it, leaving no trace of a wound in its wake. If anything, the arrow passed **through** the giant bird.

"_Damn… it has no physical body. I can't attack it while it's in the air and it refuses to come to close to me."_ Just then, the bird flew straight at the hero, scoring its claws along his exposed back*. Link cried out in pain and fell to his knees, gasping for air and clutching his chest. _"No potions left and no magical healing song... And no faeries thanks to Navi…" _Link could feel his vision begin to blur as blood poured from the wound. _"I need to end this or else I'm finished."_

Navi yelled something incomprehensible from up above the hero's head as the bird made for another attack. It flew straight at him with its talon extended, aiming for the boy's chest. In a quick flash of movement that left the hero briefly winded because of his wound, Link drew his sword and slashed as best he could at the oncoming beast. The owl phased through him when Link struck it. "_Like a ghost…"_ the cold feeling that came from the bird left the hero shivering in the hot sand.

Suddenly a melody hit the hero's pointed ears. Turning his head he saw Saria playing the familiar song on her ocarina.

"_Of course! It all happened when she started to play!"_ Link staggered to his feet and walked slowly towards the little girl, using his sword to steady himself. Drawing closer, the boy saw Saria's eyes were shut tight as she swayed to her music. The bird seemed to know exactly what was on his mind for it landed on the ground in front of him. Letting out an ear shattering screech, it flapped its massive wings in an attempt to unsteady the already trembling hero. Link raised his sword and slashed at the bird with what strength he had left in his arms. The bird turned intangible at the attack and Link was free to walk right through it. The bird lashed out at the hero with its talon but the boy was already pressed up against the wall. Balancing with all his remaining strength, Link brought his sword up to the little girl's neck with a soft clang.

Saria looked up from her music and stopped playing. Once the beautiful sound had ceased the giant bird fell to the ground and landed with an ungraceful thud. Saria grinned mischievously at the hero and slid her fingers between her neck and the blade, shoving it away from her.

"Cunning and wise…" she said, admiration lingering on her face "you are truly capable of guarding the ocarina of time." The girl beckoned to Rauru, who was massaging his temples. The sage walked up the steps with much difficulty and offered Saria the Ocarina, which she snatched from his hands. "I will teach you a song. One that will allow you to return to this spot if played." Link had never been one for music. Sure he liked it but he had never played an instrument before. But when he held the Ocarina of Time knowledge of its power flooded through him. the hero put the ocarina to his lips and waited for saria to play her song. It was simple and elegant, putting even the most complimented of musicians to shame. Saria let her fingers glide over the holes of the ocarina, giggling as Link tried to keep up.

"Listen… here are the notes. (**A/N: song explained at the end of the chapter**) E, C, A-, D…E, C, A-, D…F, D, C-, B… D, F, G, G… G, G, F-, D… D, C-, D, B-, C… this song is called the Serenade of Shifting Sand."

Link slid the tips of his fingers across the holes of the ocarina. When he had finished The Ocarina of Time started to glow a golden color. The hero nearly dropped it in his surprise to Saria's obvious amusement.

"It recognizes the power of the song. The next time you play it, the magic of the ocarina will take you here."

The four other sages stepped in at that point having recovered from the fight. They spoke as one.

"With the last scraps of our power we will send you to the sacred forest. From there, find the grave of the Zora queen and awaken her spirit. She will tell you what must be done next." With that the sage of light pointed a whispy finger at the hero, sending a quick ball of white magic into the boy's face. Navi flew under Link's hat just in time to not be left behind. The sages were left to themselves in the poison fog.

"What do you think Ruto…?" asked Duarina, looking up to the symbol of the water sage that decorated a spire.

_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAND END SCENE!**_

_**BOOM!**_

_**Ok so I said I would explain the song that Saria taught to Link**_

_**So yeah I wrote that song! Yup I found that my musical skills that really only consist of reading and writing music help me in this fanfic! Ok so to clarify I played it on a guitar and I don't think it's the greatest thing in the world ever written! It defiantly would not put hylian music to shame (Seriously have you seen the guy that sings in castle town square? Twilight princess castle town. He can belt it out!) Alright for those of you that play an instrument I'll explain the song a little more. It's a traditional scale… four beats per measure.**_E, C, A-, D…E, C, A-, D…F, D, C-, B… D, F, G, G… G, G, F-, D… D, C-, D, B-, C… _**the – stands for a half note and the … stands for a whole note. If it's just a letter by itself that means it's a quarter note. **_

_**Expect many of these to appear! I like the name I gave it! Hehe its kinda like a tongue twister serenade of shifting sand… serenade of shifting sand… serenade of shifting sand… serenade of shifting sand… bleh my tongue is all funny now! Now that Link has the ocarina of time what kind of hero is he? The Timely Hero of Twilight?**_

_**Oh and also I made Ruto the sage that died cause it said she was the one that died on a website I found a while ago… poor Ruto… but her being the one that died worked out perfectly for the story so i guess even if she wasn't the one she'd be creeping on the hero of twilight Link versus the hero of time one. **_

**_R&R! it is the bane of my exsitence! i read your comments and they make me smile! so keep em coming! i want to hear what you think!_**


	7. The Zora Queen, Rutela

**RAWR! IM BACK!**

**So as you know Link has been acting rather strange lately… will that be addressed in this chapter? POROBABLY NOT! I just love ta tease you guys! Anyways I was wondering if anyone even reads these authors notes that happen in the beginning. So here if you read these and see this happy face **** then tell me you see it! It would make me happy! And sorry about the last jam packed chapter. THERE NEEDED TO BE A LOT IN IT!**

**So about halfway through my mental planning out I realized that the only reason Link entered the sacred grove in the first place was because he could howl Zelda's lullaby. So what happens when he can't howl the song anymore? He plays the ocarina of time! Yea ocarina of time! And yea the toxic thing in my head was just a result of the evil seeping across the void from the twilight realm but now that I thought about it a little further I changed the story line a little but so that it could actually be a little more relevant to the story. So yup. There you have it. **

**OH and one last thing!**

**My synchronized swimming season picked up again so I have practice a lot. and my dad also signed me up for swim team which has practice every day for two hours. Thanks daddy… that's when I procrastinate and write fanfic… so basically that means less writing time… only till November though! Idk if id even be close to done by then… I should really stop coming up with ideas for fanifics because I can hardly focus on this one at all! jk I'm focusing pretty hard. Details… so many details that need to be worked in. I think I have to many plot twists…**

**Someone shut me up before you all get bored and not read! **

**REDAING IT NOW!**

When Link awoke he was lying on his stomach face down in the dirt. He turned his head to the side and saw Navi lying half outside his hat. The hero tried to sit up and let out a sharp gasp of pain. His wound from the spirit bird had not healed. If anything it may have gotten worse. Link sat up a little more to observe his surroundings. He was lying by the forest temple.

"_This is the sacred forest?"_ the boy thought. _"Faron Woods?"_

Sudden chittering of a creature told the hero something was approaching. Ignoring the mind fogging pain, he drew his sword and stood over Navi so he wouldn't lose sight of her if it turned out to be a battle. He saw a bush nearby quiver and, taking no chances in his condition, pulled out his bow and loosed an arrow. A monkey darted out of the bush just in time to avoid getting shot and began to chatter at him angrily. It was Maria.

"Maria…" said Link dropping to his knees to be at her level. "Maria I need you to help me. I need to find some potion." The Monkey looked at him curiously and, upon further examination, noticed the oozing gash on his back. Maria darted off and within a minute returned with a handful of leaves. She directed the hero to eat them but he turned his head away. "No thanks…" Link sighed, rubbing one eye sleepily. He had almost set his head down on the forest floor when Maria grabbed his face and shoved the plants down his throat. She held his chin and forced him to chew as best she could before grabbing his hand in an attempt to haul him to his feet. Link wobbled a little as he stood up, grabbing Navi so he wouldn't forget her. Maria led him to the tiny shop where a strange bird sold oil and potion. When he saw Link and the passed out fairy he squawked his surprise.

"OH MY oh my oh my! Take some potion! Take it now!"

Link slid over to the pot of red potion, not even bothering to bring out his bottle. He cupped his hand into the red liquid and brought it to his lips. The faint floral and spice flavor hit his tongue and ran down his throat, sending a shiver down his spine. It began slowly but the healing qualities of the potion spread throughout the hero's body, starting at his toes and spreading upward. Only when he felt the gash on his back begin to sizzle did he stop drinking potion. The heat from the ancient magic burned away the infection that had crept its way into the hero's body and knit the torn muscle back together again. After a few more moments the only trace of the gash was a faint scar that stretched from his right shoulder to his left side. Testing his strength the hero turned to thank the monkey but she had disappeared.

"OH MY oh my oh my!" squawked the bird again. "The fairy! The fairy is sick! You need to save her!"

Link glanced at Navi who had slipped from his hat and fallen to the ground. Her glow was flickering like a candle about to die. Panicking, Link scooped his companion off of the cold ground and tried to force some red potion down her throat. The bird screamed and began to peck at the hero's head.

"NONONO idiot! Take her to spirits spring! There she heal fast! Gogogo!"

Link took of in the direction of Faron swamp. He could have sworn he heard the bird mumble something about freeloading potion.

~~~~~~~~Zelda~~~~~~~~

My magic harp soothes my raging emotions, the spirits of the wise calling to me when I play it. But now my harp is silent and I cannot figure out why. Could something be wrong with the spirits?

~~~~~~~~Link~~~~~~~~

Navigating the swamp had become easier since the poison fog had dissipated. But despite that Navi was sick according to the bird, and if he didn't make it to the spirits spring in time he would lose her. The hero didn't even bother to bring out his lantern when they reached the dark tunnels. He ran blindly through at top speed, desperate to make it out in time. When they reached Faron Spring Link half submerged Navi in the magical waters and sat back to pray.

"Spirit of Faron…" he whispered quietly. "Before you is the Fairy Princess. I broke my promise to the Great Fairy. I…" Link swallowed as if the words were painful to say. "I said I would keep her safe a-and now she is hurt and suffering and it's all my fault. Please help her. Please…"

Night had fallen when Link finished his prayer. The healing fairies that hid during the day came out to play in the water of the spirits spring. When they saw the green clad boy they came to invite him to join their game. But then they saw their sister lying in the spring, barley breathing. Assuming the hero had hurt her they began to flit around his head angrily, yelling curses in their fairy language.

"Children… calm yourselves" called a faint voice from the shadows. "She exhausted her magic; she will recover in a few hours."

Link looked up and saw the great fairy sitting on the bough of a tree. The hero blushed and looked away quickly to avoid looking up her skirt. The Great Fairy showed her amusement by floating down to the ground to cup the boys chin in her hand.

"_She's much bigger than she looks!" _thought the hero. The Great Fairy stood a whole head higher than he did. Link tore his head away and gestured half heartedly at Navi. "Forgive me Highness but she… she spent too long dispelling toxic fog. I don't know what is wrong with her…"

The Fairy queen tried to muffle her laughter with her hand "Silly hero! I said before she has merely exhausted her magic. It will return in a few hours… but only if you leave her submerged in the spirits waters. You should take this time to get some well deserved rest. And leave my daughter be. She put herself to the test protecting you like that."

Link was to weary to even keep a conversation up with the Great Fairy. He settled himself down on the shore of the spring and drifted off to sleep.

In his dream Link was surrounded by a mysterious mist. As he stood he was greeted by the late zora queen Rutela.

Rutela smiled and pulled the hero into a graceful hug. When she realesed him Link could see that she was crying.

"My apologies for seeing you like this. So informal…" she said wiping a finger under her eye to remove the water leaking from them. "But I must tell you of a sign."

Link opened his mouth to speak but he was shushed by the former queen. "HUSH! I haven't much time. Speak to me as soon as you can in the resting place of the zora's in Kakariko. There I will help you find the one you seek."

Link blushed slightly at that and he thanked the queen as she faded into the mist. Once she had gone, Link lay down on the ground to continue in dreamless slumber.

When he awoke the bright sunshine had risen well over the middle of the sky. Link looked to the shore of the spring and quickly realized Navi was no longer there. Panicking, the hero sat up quickly causing something on top of his head to kick him unconsciously. Link's eyes darted up and saw a blue hand dangling over the side of his head. Navi had buried herself in his hair and fallen asleep. Laughing slightly, the hero sat up and covered the fairy in his hat, which had lain abandoned on the ground. Link stood, snatched a piece of horse grass from the ground and raised it to his lips. After Epona had arrived the hero gathered what things had been strewn across the ground and took off for kakariko.

The ride to Kakariko was long but easy. Navi woke up halfway there and perched herself on his shoulder chatting idly in his ear. Link assumed she knew what he had done but she chose not to mention it. Once over the bridge in Kakariko Gorge, the hero slowed his trusty horse to a slow canter. Epona was more than willing to slow her pace and loped merrily through the gates. Peering around the corner Link saw Renado standing with his eyes closed facing the owl statue that had been hidden in a crevice in the canyon wall. No doubt he was praying for the villages safety for the night. Seeing Link, Renado allowed a smile to cross his face as the hero dismounted his horse. Link sent Epona off to eat some grass as he walked over to greet the older man.

"Link" Renado said, bowing. "It has been a long time since you have visited us in Kakariko. My daughter will be pleased to hear news of the village children. Especially that Talo." The shaman smiled at the memory of the children. He seemed lost in thought until Link's quiet shuffling brought him back to earth. "But it seems you are not only here to visit. On a quest perhaps?"

Link chuckled to himself. Renado had always been sharp. "I need to visit the graveyard. But after that I don't have a place to stay and night will fall soon. So if you don't mind… can I stay with you for the night?"

Renado smiled "Of coarse you may stay with us! We are forever in your debt Link."

The hero squirmed at that "Please? You are not in my debt. I do not expect payment from anyone… especially you my friend."

Renado nodded and pointed him on to the graveyard, turning back to the owl statue. Link walked slowly up to the hole in the wall were the final resting place of the zoras was hidden. He crawled through the tunnel and emerged on the other side, staring in wonder.

The whole resting place had been coated in a light frost that decorated the walls and grass. But outside the cavern the trees were still green and the signs of summer were still present. Link snapped his attention back to his task and unwillingly slipped into the freezing water. Shivering he clambered out of the pool and kneeled before the grave.

"Queen Rutela?" the hero asked tentatively.

Nothing happened. Link stood up and walked behind the grave. There was nothing there either.

"you don't remember what the sages told you?" Navi squeaked from under his hat. She refused to come out to speak to him for it was to cold for her. "Offer a fish to the queen's spirit. She should awaken."

Shuddering slightly Link walked over to the pool and looked into the water. There was only one fish left. It swam around frantically, trying to find a way out. The cold seemed to weaken both the fish and the hero for Link could feel his eyelids begin to droop. He pulled out hit fishing rod, dropped the hook into the water. The fish looked around, startled and began to approach the gleaming hook. As it took a tentative bite Link snapped his hand into the air and pulled it out of the pool to flop about before the grave. No sooner had it hit the ground that the whole cave began to glow a faint green color. It was then the Zora Queen materialized before the hero's eyes.

She did not look at him at first. Her attention was planted firmly upon the fish who was still struggling to reach the water once more.

"Hush my child…" she said to it, scooping the gasping fish up into her hands. "You do not deserve to suffer like this." Rutela carefully placed the fish back into the freezing pool where it lay stunned for a moment, gasping for breath. The Zora Queen turned to Link who was still shivering and smiled. "I shall make this brief dear hero. I can teach you the serenade of water here but I do not have the medallion you need to give to my son." Link rolled his eyes. This meant more random running around Hyrule. Just what he needed.

"But hero… this is not all. I sense something amiss about you." the boy looked at the zora queen, confused.

"_Something wrong with me?" _he thought as Rutela placed a hand on either side of his face so she could look into his eyes. She closed her own eyes and tried to reach into his mind. Link could feel her presence in his head as she poked about through his thoughts, memories, dreams and knowledge. Suddenly she gasped and her eyelids flew open. She grabbed her head and moaned in pain, falling to the ground to land on her knees. The hero knelt beside her and tried to comfort the former queen by place a hand on her shoulder. But Rutela was a spirit and his hand passed straight through her. Link sat embarrassed for a few moments while the queen tried to regain her composure.

"Cursed…" she whispered so quietly the hero almost missed it.

"What?" he asked leaning down so he could hear her if she whispered again.

"**YOU'RE CURSED**!" Rutela screamed causing the poor boy to flinch back and fall into the water. Rutela kept screaming at him "This is all her fault! If only that stupid girl had not broken the mirror. The hero would not be cursed." The Zora Queen stepped down to the boy's level, waiting for him to crawl out of the pool.

"Link, answer me truthfully. Have you noticed yourself acting strangely in the past few days?"

The hero thought back to when he and Navi had visited Ordon to find the first tear. He had seriously considered ripping the fairy apart with his teeth. "Um… yes?"

Rutela flew into another rage, gliding idly around the cavern and talking to herself. Finally she landed before him once more and grabbed his face.

"Link what I am about to tell you is important to your survival." Link tried to say something but the queen shushed him with a quick glare. "Do you remember the power the shards of the mirror of twilight used to control their surroundings?"

Link nodded slowly but before he could say anything Rutela barreled on. "There was enormous power in a fragment as large as those had been. But in a fragment as small as say… a flower petal would be just enough to mess with the life of the person who holds it. That is what has happened to you. There is a shard of the mirror of twilight embedded in your left eye and it is altering the balance between the feral, animalistic side of your brain that emerged when you first transformed into a wolf, and the rational human side that you have always had."

**dundunDUN! Haha I lied! I do that!**

**I really have nothing to say at the end this time other than READ AND REVEIW!**

**So BYE!**


	8. An Unexpected Burden Part 1

_**Sorry!**_

_**Don't blame me please!**_

_**Ok… ok… I am completely responsible for the lack of updates… but just so you know chapter ten and twelve are finished! *Flinches away from rissy's death glare* sorry! I didn't mean it! I had lots of poopy to deal with! Like… practice and 3 swim meets in one week and a huge essay… that I should be doing now… and I was super tired! I know its been like a month… but officially I have the next… 3 chapters after this one!**_

_**Ok so this is in two parts because I didn't want to keep you waiting and it was getting a little long…**_

_**Also I rushed it so please don't blame me for the parts you don't like… I really didn't like how this chapter turned out but you know… that's how it goes sometimes!**_

_**I OWN NOTHING ALREADY SEEN IN THE LEGEND OF ZELDA SERIES! If you've never seen it before then its mine :3 **_

_**So without further ado! Read the newest chapter!**_

…

_**I hate what school has turned me into… a lump who can hardly write an update…**_

_**Now!**_

"There is a shard of the mirror of twilight embedded in your left eye and it is altering the balance between the feral, animalistic side of your brain that emerged when you first transformed into a wolf, and the rational human side that you have always had."

Link couldn't even believe what he had just heard. _"Cu-cursed? What the hell does that mean?"_ the hero clutched his hand to his eye in an attempt to stable himself. Still covering the eye he turned to Rutela, "explain this to me please."

The former queen sighed. "When you first transformed into a wolf your mind altered to account for the shifting of instincts and body design, meaning you could easily transform between the two shapes. But now that the twilight princess is gone you have no need for such things. But when she destroyed the mirror a shard must have lodged itself in your eye."

Link remembered his dream from over a week ago with a shiver. He had been standing in the mirror chamber at Arbiters grounds and glass had shot into his eye. _"Was something trying to warm me of this?" _

"Link" Rutela said, awakening the hero from his thought. "I don't have much time left to speak to you in this world for my powers grow weaker with each passing moment. You must learn to control your anger. You have noticed that when you are angry you begin to act in an animalistic way correct?" The boy nodded "You must be very careful hero, for if your anger grows to a certain point the mirror shard will gain a relative consciousness and take over your body. It will make you watch the destruction of everything you love."

Link shuddered at the thought of losing everything he had worked for. Sensing this, The Zora Queen smiled at him saying "But there is some good to this as well. If you focus hard enough you can channel the energy from the shard so you may use your wolf senses. It is possible that you could detect spirits and follow scents." Rutela placed a ghostly hand on his shoulder, "But there is a way to remove the shard."

The hero sat a little straighter, "How?"

"Come to the temple of time in the sacred grove. There you must draw the Mastersword to gain entrance to the temple. You will need the sword of evil's bane to banish the evil power from the shard and remove it from your eye. You will also need it if you wish to enter the twilight otherwise you will become the blue eyed beast. Once in the temple you must travel into the depths of the bottom chamber. It is there I can give you the crest of the water sage and teach you the serenade of water.

"But be warned. The balance between Hylian and beast has been weakened. This damage to your mind has been done and cannot be reversed. To add to this you have lived with the shard in your eye for three years. Removing it will additionally disorient you."  
"Anything! I will draw the Mastersword and meet you in the temple of time."

"Hero, be warned. The spirit world is full of dangers. Hurry or else something else might awaken from this. Come to the temple of time to claim the sage of water's crest and learn the serenade of water. Only then could you possibly move forward in your quest." Link nodded as Rutela began to fade away. "Hero… before you depart from this cavern… take… the zora armor. It belongs to you now…" with the last of her power, she moved the grave stone of the zora king vefore she vanished. Link walked around the side and picked up the armor, carefully sliding it over his forest green tunic.

The sun was beginning to rise as he and Navi emerged from the hidden cave. _"No chance for a good nights sleep now…" _he thought with a yawn. _"I can't expect Renado to let me stay now. I have to get to the temple of time as soon as possible…"_ the boy rubbed his eyes unconsciously, stifling another yawn. _"But maybe I'll rest just a little before I leave." _Link plopped down next to a tomb stone and leaned against it, letting himself fall into a deep sleep.

There was no dream in Link's head as he slept. He only knew the black night that seemed to envelope him with soundlessness. But there was nothing to fear here in this shadowy world. In fact, the hero would have liked to remain there forever had voices not interrupted his thoughtless sleep.

"Link…" someone called from far away. A child's voice.

"_Damn…" _thought the boy_. "Leave me alone…"_

"LINK!" a high pitch sound screamed his name into his ears. The hero's eyelids flew open only to be blinded by the late afternoon sun.

"Ugh…." He groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Navi… I was… sleeping…"

"Who is Navi?"

Link slowly opened his eyes and came face to face with the shaman's daughter, Luda. The girl tugged on the hero's hand, saying "Father said to come and fetch you since you will need to eat before you leave us again."

With that, she bowed and skipped of along the path back to the village. Link sat up a little and shook his head.

"Navi?" he called, standing up. "Navi we have to go."

Tiny blue ball of light came to rest on the hero's shoulder. "Yea whatever…" she said. The fairy squinted her eyes in a massive yawn, her wings fluttering so she wouldn't lose her balance. "I wish that girl hadn't come. I'm exhausted!"

Link smiled as they started down the path to visit Renado. "Me too. Perhaps after we reach the temple of time we could take a nap?"

Navi gave him a light punch on the head, giggling. "We don't have time for naps! Try to not overdo it." She rose off of his shoulder and flew under his hat. The boy could feel the fairy settling herself into his hair. "Meanwhile I on the other hand get to nap all I want. Wake me if you need me." With a final yawn, Navi's breaths slowed into gentle snoring, making Link only want to sleep more. When he reached Renado's door he found the shaman and his daughter waiting for him.

"Link" the older man said, "we prepared food for you to take on your journey." He gestured to Luda who, in turn, revealed to him a small box. "Luda also readied Epona for you."

Link said his thanks and took the box from Luda. She gave him a quick hug and backed away to her father's side where they both bowed to him in farewell. The hero smiled as he mounted Epona, waving as she took off down the road.

They rode through hyrule field in silence; the only sound that could be heard was the thudding of Epona's hooves. They traveled for at least two hours before they reached the entrance to faron woods. Knowing he probably wouldn't get a second chance, Link dismounted his horse and sent her off to graze while he ate what was in the box. There was nothing special inside for him, just bread and some goat cheese. After about thirty minutes spent watching the sun set and listening to the sounds of the field, Link caught Epona and continued on through the forest. He woke Navi at the entrance to the series of dark tunnels that lead to the Faron swamp and they ran through as quickly as they could seeing as Link had left his lantern somewhere. Once on the other side, the hero trudged along the edge the swamp, shivering at the knee high water that soaked his boots. The bridge across had been destroyed long ago when the twilight first attacked. It was strange to Link that no one bothered to replace it when it had been so frequently used. The hero plopped to the ground with an exhausted sigh, dragging his soggy boots off his feet and pouring all the water out of them. Navi sat on his shoulder ringing water from her wings and grumbling irritably. Boy and fairy sat in companionable silence, watching the stars glint from their far away positions in the sky. An hour passed before either one said anything. Navi looked at Link from the corner of her eye, a reddish hue staining her pale blue skin.

"Um…" she said, her voice cracking slightly. The fairy coughed to play off her embarrassment, "Link we should start moving again." The boy looked up at her with a dazed look and nodded, sending Navi's heart into a familiar frantic flutter. She looked away from him as he placed his boots back onto his feet. Navi flew up to the hilt of Link's sword and sat on it, deciding she needed a break from his closeness. The hero walked along the forest, unaware of her change in mood. He nearly passed by the shop of the Mayan bird that sold oil in his daydreaming state. Only the angry shouting of the bird brought the boy back to his senses. Link stopped to buy a new lantern, refill his oil and get some red potion. The bird made him pay for the red potion he had used two nights earlier before he could take more. Navi sat on the rim of a clay pot staring as Link emptied his wallet into the box that the bird kept for transactions. She smiled when he held out his hand for her to walk into. They continued on their way, the fairy standing on Link's shoulder holding his ear for balance. The hero slowed his pace as the great tree that housed the forest temple loomed out of the darkness. He stopped by the bridge that lead on to the temple entrance, placing a hand on the side. Link stared up at it in wonder as a familiar sadness crept into his heart. _"Another memory of her…"_ he sighed, tearing his eyes away to look at his feet. His hand clenched the wood tightly in his grasp. _"If only she hadn't broken the mirror… things might be different."_

Navi seemed to sense the hero's sadness for she pulled on his ear and said, "Come on Link! We're almost to the lost woods. We can't stop now."

Link glanced at the fairy perched on his shoulder and smiled. "Yea… sure" he said, walking over to the ledge. "Though I don't know how we will get there now… Midna helped me get across last time."

Navi looked at the man beside her sharply. "Hey" she said directing his attention to her. "Link I'll help you" she sighed softly, smiling. "But you have to listen to me. How did you get there in the first place?"

"I was a wolf at the time" Link whispered, looking down into the seemingly bottomless pit.

The fairy giggled, "Well it seems now is the time to learn how to control the balance between your human side and your wolf side!"

"What are you talking about…?"

Navi leaned her head onto her hand, "surely you haven't forgotten what the zora queen told you!" the hero just continued to stare at her in confusion. "You idiot…" the fairy sighed "doesn't anyone get through your thick skull?

Link turned his head away so he wouldn't have to look at Navi. "Only one…" he said, smiling after a moment's pause. "But she usually got me to listen by saying my friends could have been killed by the shadow beings." The hero glanced back at the fairy on his shoulder and immediately saw the appalled shock written on her face. "What?"

Navi merely groaned something incomprehensible and flew off of his shoulder to look him in the eye. "The zora queen, you don't remember what she said?"

Link thought back to the previous night. The cold had fogged his mind to the point of forgetfulness. It was almost all he could remember. Suddenly her words hit him and he grinned at the memory. Link thought about what it had felt like to be a wolf. All those years ago, memories he had fought to bury deep within his mind, searching through them all made the hero suffer through all the pain that had come from his missing friend. Link's mind was filled with sadness and anger, his mental pain becoming apparent to Navi as she shrank back in fear.

~~~~~~~Navi~~~~~~~

The fairy could hardly believe what was happening to her dearest hero. His face had become twisted with a mixture of grief and anger. His features became sharper, more defined, his pupils were mere slits, his ears had somehow grown pointier and canine teeth had become fangs. Link took a deep breath to settle himself and immediately returned to normal but Navi didn't dare to get close. She simply gazed at him in silent curiosity and wariness. But then he turned to her and rewarded her with his signature lopsided smile. The fairy found herself melting under his warm gaze and she flew back to her perch on his shoulder.

"Not bad!" she said, giving him a quick pat. "This time focus less on the… unhappy memories and more on what it FELT like." She flexed her tiny arms in an example, "Feel the strength coursing through you!"

Link took another deep breath and closed his eyes. This time the physical changes that came with his canine mind were subtle. His arms grew a little longer and his muscles became lean. When he opened his eyes again his pupils were still slits. He voice came out in a low rumbling growl as he said, "Hang on Navi. We will have to see if this works." He crouched low to the ground and sprang, throwing the startled fairy from his shoulder in the process. Navi fluttered about for a little while to regain stability and chased after his disappearing form.

~~~~~~~~Link~~~~~~~~

The hero leapt thoughtlessly from ledge to ledge. Unlike his human self, Link didn't need to think about how he was getting to the sacred grove. His instincts told him that if he needed to get somewhere then by the goddesses he would get there. He even totally forgot about leaving his fairy behind until she came up behind him. his sensitive ears picked up her heavy breathing and he whirled about with his teeth bared. The look of shock on Navi's face jolted Link back to reality and he dropped his focus. The boy fell to his knees and clutched his head in his hands, the pain in his left eye growing to an unbearable peak. Navi sat down on his head and whispered comforting words to him in fairy tongue. Suddenly, the pain vanished leaving Link gasping and shivering. He stood up and walked into the Scared Grove without a word to Navi.

The secret forest hadn't changed at all in the last three years. The birds still chirped and light shone through the boughs of the tall trees in an eternal early morning glow. The sun never set here. In this place no time passed.

Link didn't bother to look around at the beautiful Grove as Navi had done. Instead he strode around a large tree and came face to face with a walled up passage.

"Damn skullkid…" he mumbled and he went back to the fairy who was conversing with several other fairies nearby. Link propped himself up on a stone marked with the triforce and watched the butterflies soar about aimlessly. The relaxed atmosphere settled the hero's thoughts and left him smiling.

"_well the mind thing went decently well" _he thought, playing with the tall blades of grass that surrounded him. _"I suppose next I should learn to play that ocarina properly…" _her trailed off as he pulled the blue instrument from his pocket. A triforce decorated the mouthpiece, adding some flare to the otherwise plain appearance. Link brought the ocarina to his lips tentatively, delighting in the small sound it made when he blew out some air. The hero shifted a finger onto one of the air holes to change the tune a little. Recalling Saria's fluid movements as she played her ocarina, Link felt his finger glide across the smooth surface, relishing in the strangely familiar feeling of the music. Link played his favorite childhood song first, the goat song. The boy had always loved the song about the smelly goat that lived at ordon ranch. Even now it still made him laugh. Link tapped his foot merrily as he sang the words in his head, playing the ocarina as well as Saria had done. The song ended with a short, sweet note that left the whole forest in silence, at least, until the rock Link was leaning on began to play music as well. The hero jumped back and nearly dropped the ocarina. He whipped around to face the stone and examined it. Nothing about its exterior had changed but now it whistled a quiet little tune at such a low frequency, Link almost couldn't hear it. Suddenly Navi appeared on his shoulder.

"Link?" she asked. "Why are you staring at that rock?"

He didn't look at her, this song was so familiar, but the boy couldn't place it. Finally he said "You can't hear it?"

"Am I supposed to hear something?" she asked, leaning over to get a better look at the rock. "What's with this rock? It certainly is shaped funny!"

Link ignored her, intent on figuring out this song. _"The last time a saw a rock like this… it was a howling stone. But I can't howl anymore… so what do I do?"_

"Link" Navi whispered, her voice quaking. "The ocarina of time… look…"

The hero glanced down at the instrument resting in his palm and let out a small gasp. The smooth surface of the ocarina had begun to shine with a subtle golden glow. It pulsated a little, like it was almost alive. Link brought it to his lips and listened to the sound the rock was making. _"It's worth a try"_ he thought, taking a deep breath. Link caught on quickly, playing the notes of the song as if he had played this instrument his whole life. When it was over the rock silenced itself and the ocarina had lost its glow. The hero instantly remembered the song. It was the same one he had played three years ago to call on the guardian of this forest. There was no sound left in the Sacred Grove. The chirps of birds faded into stillness and even the trees stopped swaying in the wind. That made it easier to hear the foreign sound that seemed to creep up from behind. Taking no chances, the boy drew his sword on the unsuspecting creature and performed the mortal draw, skillfully executing it. But he paused as he realized what it was.

A puppet.

Not just any puppet though, the same kind that the guardian of this forest used to keep unwanted visitors out. Link got to his feet and grabbed his shield from his back. _"Skullkid is near. That little bastard can't escape me." _

"He he he!" laughed something from the trees. Navi cringed closer to the hero, looking up at the trees with fear in her eyes as Skullkid fell from the sky, that same cocky smile plastered eternally on his face. "You again?" he said, the grin never leaving his features. "I thought maybe I could play tag with someone new!"

Link sighed, "Skullkid, I have chased you through this forest twice now. Am I worthy enough to find my own way to the temple of time?"

The little boy smiled on, "No chance! To get there you must follow me for only I know the way. Besides…" he paused for dramatic affect, his enormous grin still plain on his face. "Besides, should you get lost in this forest, you will become a spirit, doomed to reside in this purgatory forever."

Link stared at him in shock as the child pulled out his trumpet. "Then… what are you?"

Then skullkid did something that scared the hero. He frowned. "I am a child who became lost in this wood. Before the rise of the Gerudo King this place was called Lost Woods. The kokiri children, born of the Great Deku Tree, resided in this forest that is now called Faron. They were a strange race, never growing older than the age of nine or ten. The Great Deku Tree protected them and this forest from the outside world. As long as no kokiri left this wood, nothing bad would ever happen. But after the events caused by the evil Gerudo king, the Great Deku Tree became fearful of what might happen to the children next. Robbers frequently fought their way into the forest, lured by tales of fabulous treasure that lay hidden there. After twenty years of this, the Great Deku Tree finally had had enough. Using his power, he hid the ancient forest temple within himself so that none may intrude on its sacred power. He locked away the kokiri children inside his body where they would live happily once more, tending to the temple and playing with the tree. But even then, the evils of this world followed them. Inside the tree the kokiri had nowhere to flee to when more robbers attacked. In despair the Great Deku Tree turned them all into monkeys so they could run away. Finally the hero of time, who had been running around Hyrule trying to stop the fighting, returned to the castle and found the princess waiting for him there. She said to protect the land the temples of the sages had to be sealed away just as the Great Deku Tree had done. So they gathered all the sages and with their help, hid the temples where they believed none would find them. Though one flaw of this was if the temple was sealed, the sage of that temple must go with it so they would remain in control of its power. That is why the Arbiters Grounds were built. With the giant golden mirrors decorating the top each sage could connect to his or her temple with ease. It was here they focused their powers and became full fledged sages. The people of hyrule called this place a prison, which it was, but not in the usual sense. It was the place where the most dangerous of criminals and items were kept and sent to the other realm."

Link flinched at the mention of the other realm. He knew exactly where they were sent. Into the twilight.

"But," Skullkid continued. "That does not explain why this forest is here. The princess that helped the sages was the leader of them all. She was the sage of time. She knew the mastersword and the temple would never be safe as long as they were in castle town. So she sent them to lost woods and commanded the sky people to build a fortress to protect it. The ruins inside the Sacred Grove are the remains of that fortress. The sky people guarded it for one hundred years, and then they returned to the place from which they had come. The princess came to this place after her death and cut of this forest's ability to age. Everything in this grove has been here since the day she cut us off from the world. The souls of lost children still roam here, playing songs on their flutes. That is why we remain here. Now only I protect this place from those who would abuse the power that lies within. If you wish to go inside, then you must prove yourself once more."

With that Skullkid took of at a run, calling his puppets to block Link's path. He easily cut them down as he chased the child through the forest, following the sound of his trumpet. He and Navi spent what seemed to be hours running through the grove, killing puppets and finding the skullkid. All his efforts eventually paid off as he cornered the eternal lost child in a large, open air circular room. Skullkid turned around to face him, that big silly grin still on his face.

"Third time is the charm!" he laughed, putting his trumpet on his back. "But I have a feeling I don't want to play tag with you anymore. You always win!" the child leapt into the air and vanished in a rainfall of crisp, green leaves. "You may be the only one who can enter this place freely. Do not abuse such an offer."

A wall separating Link from the entrance to the temple of time dissolved allowing him a wonderful view of the remains of what must have been the courtyard of the fortress. The statues that guarded the mastersword stood dormant with their clubs raised, ready to destroy any who came to steal the power sealed within. Cautiously, the hero walked over to the statues, pulling out the ocarina. He played the triforce song tentatively at first but was soon wrapped up in the emotion that seemed to flow from the notes. The hero sat down upon the ground as he played the slightly melancholy tune. When he had finished, Link stared up at the sky, recalling what Skullkid had told him. _"Cut off from the flow of time…" _he thought slowly, as Navi flew around nervously. "Navi?" Link asked lazily. "Is something bothering you?"

The fairy became a small blue blur as she zipped around the courtyard. "The statues are looking at you!"

Link sprang up and drew his sword, almost falling over in his haste. But what Navi said was true, the statues were indeed looking at him. He cautiously walked forward, waving his fairy away as one statue shifted his hammer.

_**You may not pass**_

Link flinched as their voices rang in his head. "I have passed once before! I had to claim the mastersword!"

_**Those who wish to pass must pass our test. Before, you merely wished to borrow the power of the sword of evil's bane. Now to achieve your goals, you must claim the blade of legend and keep it till the day you die.**_

"Wait… what kind of test?"

_**First was a test of mind. Next is a test of strength. **_

The hero didn't have any time to react for two giant hammers came smashing down on top of him. With a quick jump to the side he avoided dying by the hands of statues. The hero got to his feet and immediately dodged a second attack. The stone creatures continued their strategy of one after another attacks for several more minutes. Every time Link dodged, there was a second hammer waiting to crush him. finally he managed to clawshot himself high above their heads and clung to the wall for dear life. Navi zipped up to join him.

"What do we do? We need the mastersword! If we steal it then the sword will reject you. But you can't possibly defeat these things! They have no weakness and your blade can't hope to even scratch them!"

"Thanks for the encouragement Navi…" Link sighed, wiping sweat from his brow. "We need a plan rather than pointing out everything I can't do right now."

"Sorry…" she whispered, toying with her hair. "I just don't want to see you get hurt…"

The hero sighed, unable to meet her frost blue gaze. "Don't guilt trip me Navi. Please help me think of something at least."

I can't think of anything Link! I have no idea what we are going to do!"

The statues stood directly below the duo, it looked like one was lifting the other higher into the air.

"We better think of something soon…" the boy said, nervously fiddling with his glass tear charm. "We don't have much time left…"

_**Well well well wellie well wel well!**_

_**Part two is on its way!**_

_**Thanks to those who kept with me! Sorry for the absence!**_

_**Ok read and review since I wanna know what you think! I didn't like this chapter so much so id love to hear from you guys!**_

_**Seeya next time!**_

_**oh and i was thinking about starting up a deviantart account so i could show u guys picture to go along with the story! if youd like to see that let me know! **_

_**and reveiw...**_

_**u know u wanna!**_


	9. An Unexpected Burden Part 2

_**Hey guys! **_

_**We haven't heard from Midna in a little while so lets address that problem first shall we? ALSO at the rate school is going down and the swim season coming to an end I think you can start to expect a chapter every two weeks! Deeeepending on how fast my editor can fix my grammar mishaps!**_

_**FYI the Triforce song is the same as Zelda's lullaby. Link just doesn't know what else to call it since it was never introduced to him as Zelda's lullaby.**_

_**DOUBLE FYI! Not sure if all of you know what the deal is with the temple of time. Since the situation is so weird to write down and a little hard to explain I keep forgetting random little details that happen to be very important! So here it goes. I fudged a little bit so it works for the story but only the beginning.**_

_**ALERT**_

_**ALERT**_

_**IMPORTANT STUFF AS OF FOLLOWING**_

_**ALERT**_

_**MUST READ UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR BRAIN FRIED BY MY CONFUSINGNESS!**_

_**After the events of Ocarina of Time, the Zelda from that game (I shall call her Zelda IIV… or something of that nature) decided the temple of time was not protected enough in castle town. So she sent a message to the sky people (via the messenger) to help her seal away the triforce and the Mastersword. The sky people (oocca) built a magnificent fortress to help protect the temple of time in the ruins of the old forest temple. At this point the great deku tree had hidden the kokiri and the new forest temple within his body. The great deku tree allowed Zelda IIV and the oocca to build their fortress inside the sacred forest. Inside there, all who tried to enter would be lost for all eternity if they did not have a guide (skull kid! He eventually got bored with just leading people in and out so he decided it would be more fun to have them play tag with him!). with the help of the sages and the oocca, Zelda IIV moved the temple of time into the fortress. Doing this needed a lot of magic and Zelda soon became frail and weak. She exhausted the power of the triforce of wisdom and it left her body, choosing instead another to hold its power. The temple was left in the forest, guarded by the oocca for 100 years. Natural events and old age deteriorated the temple, leaving it as we know today. After 200 years the oocca left the fortress and returned to the sky. But they did not leave the temple unguarded. They gave skullkid the trumpet of winds which allowed him to control an army of puppets at his disposal should someone come to steal the Mastersword. And since the temple was in ruins, they created a doorway through time to a place were the temple was still intact. Anyone who passed through the door of time would return to the place where the hero of time fought the evil lord. If you notice, the Mastersword is not in the pedestal of time when Link gets to the temple. That's because the hero of time is out fighting Ganondorf with the Mastersword. Anyway, here time as we know it has stopped outside the temple since you do not belong there. you cannot go to the world outside the temple, and no one from the world outside the temple may enter. **_

_**Hence confusingness. Oh and since the kokiri did not reside In the forest any more, hylians moved into the area that (to the extent of their knowledge) was abandoned and built a village. Ordon village is the most protected place in all of hyrule since they have two light spirit springs in the vicinity not to mention the great deku tree. That's why they were attacked by the twilight beings last.**_

_**My next fight scene is a little weird. Meh.**_

~~~~~~~~Navi~~~~~~~~

"We better think of something soon…" the boy said, nervously fiddling with his glass tear charm. "We don't have much time left…"

Navi looked up at the green clad hero. His eyes glittered with an intense emotion she couldn't place. The fairy could hardly resist the urge to reach out and touch his face. She wanted him to be happy and despite how much she wished for otherwise, his heart would never belong to her. Link didn't even seem to notice how she felt, that she always slept under his hat, how she always sat on his shoulder, how she never left his side for any reason. _"And here I am…" _she thought to herself bitterly, _"unable to help the man I love most." _Navi glanced down below to check on the guardians of the Mastersword. One was lifting the other higher into the air so they could grab onto her golden haired friend. It lifted its giant hand towards Link, grasping for his leg. The hero reached into his bag and pulled out a single iron boot. He fastened it to his right foot and used the extra weight to kick the advancing statue's hand away from him. The force of the kick shot a deep fissure through the length of the statue's arm. It let out a horrid shriek of apparent pain, falling to the ground where, upon landing, it shattered into a million fragments. Link shot a triumphant smile at his fairy and nodded, sending little shivers up her spine. He pressed the release button on the clawshot and allowed himself to descend from the wall, landing with a loud thud behind the last remaining statue. It hardly turned to face him as it stood over its fallen comrade. Its shoulders slumped over and its body trembled.

Navi could see from the corner of her eyes that Link was looking at her in confusion. Light seemed to emit from the skin of the last remaining statue, enveloping the surrounding area in a soft white glow.

"A spell…" the fairy said, answering the boy's unspoken question. "Stay on your toes Link…" The hero nodded and gripped the hilt of his sword, ready for anything. _"Strange…" _thought Navi, as she flew a little closer to investigate the misty cloud. _"An illusion spell?"_ Suddenly, her hand flew to cover her mouth as a scream threatened to escape her lips. She began to tremble uncontrollably as a sob escaped from behind her fingers and tears streamed down her eyes. There, before her lay a golden haired boy face down in the dirt. His head was tilted up slightly so she could see the lifelessness in his blue eyes. His Hero's tunic was ripped away from his body along with his chainmail and his undershirt. Blood oozed slowly from deep cuts on his back and face, pooling at his side.

"_Link."_ she thought slowly as her thoughts fought to keep up with what she saw.

"Link." she whispered aloud this time, tears staining her cheeks with salty trails.

"Oh my dearest Farore LINK!" she flew towards him as fast as she could; leaving behind any hope of finding that he wasn't dead. As the Navi advanced, she readied her magic into the most powerful healing spell she could muster. She fell to her knees, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She placed her hands on his chest and cast the healing spell. Though a valiant effort, all was in vain for the hero didn't take another breath. Exhausted, Navi collapsed, alone in her sorrow. She chocked back a second sob she as lifted her head to look past Link. Her vision allowed her to see what was behind him, pile of bodies had been stacked not to far away from her fallen hero. She squinted her eyes to get a closer look and saw the body of her mother. Dead fairies covered the ground as the pile of her loved ones seemed to grow.

"NO!" she cried, falling to the ground. "Mother… Link… everyone… NOOO!"

~~~~~~~~Link~~~~~~~~

Link stared on in shock as Navi's wings seemed to fail and she fell to the ground screaming. The soft blue glow that resonated from her body extinguished itself, showing the fairy's sadness. He ran to her side and picked her up slowly, moving to put her under his hat.

"No…" the fairy whispered, curling herself up into a ball. "No… no they can't all be dead… Link… oh Link…"

The hero carefully placed his companion under his hat and turned to see what had shaken her so. Immediately he fell to his knees, clutching his head in an effort to steady his raging emotions. He opened one eye to make sure he wasn't imagining the image before him. The hero cried out when he saw the pile of bodies had not gone away. Among the dead were his dearest loved ones, Zelda, Ilia and even his daughter. When Midia stirred his heart leapt with happiness. He crawled over to her, cradling her small body to his chest. Midia was bleeding from several wounds to her face and chest, staining her fathers forest green tunic. Link held her close to him, begging her to hold on. She lifted her tiny head and smiled, "Daddy…?" she whispered. "I knew you would come!" Link kissed her forehead, shushing her but the words kept babbling out. "Daddy… if only mommy and everyone else could see you now…" she started to cough heavily, sending her father into a panic. Link reached into his pocket and pulled out his red potion. Midia looked up at him and shook her head. "No thanks daddy…" she said slowly, closing her eyes with a smile. "I think we will meet again eventually…"

The hero could only watch as his daughters life slipped away from his grasp. Finally she took in one last shuttering breath and then let it fade into silence. Link held back his tears as he laid her next to Ilia, standing to find the monster who slaughtered all his loved ones. A light tap on his shoulder alerted him to an unfamiliar presence at his side. He turned around and came face to face with Midna. She gave him a reassuring smile and reached out to touch his cheek. The conflicting feelings of sadness and happiness overwhelmed the hero. Letting his guard down, he took her hand in his own and attempted a smile in return.

"LINK!" Navi screamed from under his pointed hat, attracting his gaze. "WATCH OUT!"

Pain erupted in his shoulder as a spear entered his flesh. The sharp metal ripped upward, leaving a deep, long cut on his right collarbone. The hero fell to his knees, clutching his wounded shoulder. The faint sound of metal swishing through the air alerted Link to his attacker's next attempt. The blond rolled to his side, biting back a cry as his shoulder hit the hard ground. Gritting his teeth, Link looked up and saw Midna pointing a staff at him. One end had a magic crystal for spells and the other had a jagged blade attached to it. Her ruby red eyes held no emotion, her body tensed and ready for the next attack. She lunged forward, thrusting the blade end of her staff towards Link's chest. He sidestepped and slowly backed away, gingerly transferring his sword to his left hand. The twilight princess brought the blade down from above, her expressionless blood red eyes boring into the hero's own blue ones. Link barley had enough time to bring up his sword to block her. Caught in a sword lock, the hero pushed up against the staff with the ordon sword and whispered quietly to Midna. "Why are you doing this?" unshed tears lay hidden in his words. Midna snarled at him, putting more force into her blade. Sparks began to fly as Link was forced to the ground by Midna's hands. The hero kneeled on the ground before her, staring at the twilight princess in horror. The sharp end of her staff was severing the sword Rusl had crafted! Link half closed his eyes in fear of being blinded by the small embers. _"If I don't get out of this lock soon I'm in real trouble." _Just as he was debating leaving his sword behind Midna let out a blood curdling screech. She used the last drops of her strength to completely sheer off his blade near the hilt. The steel fell to the ground with a clatter, leaving its wielder to stand and stare in shock. The sword had been cut diagonally, leaving the end a bit sharp, but now it was more or less a dagger, and with his right arm useless he couldn't use his shield to defend himself. The twilight princess circled him slowly, staff extended, occasionally jabbing at his stomach or casting a battle spell. With so little options the hero became desperate. He called upon the instincts of a wolf to help him fight this battle. The hero didn't have enough energy to hold a total transformation for very long, instead he sharpened the abilities of his eyes and ears. He blinked his eyes several times, trying to get adjusted to the change. Then he noticed something off about Midna. Her outline was faint, there was no warmth radiating from her, no scent and she made no sounds. She lunged again; staff extended leaving plenty of room for Link to easily avoid her strike. He sneered slightly at the foolishness behind the attack; no one could be so open and expect to win. But Midna tossed the spear away and used her extra speed to throw her arms around the hero's neck. The wolf transformation Link barley held in place came undone as a blush spread across his cheeks. He tried to push her off politely, completely forgetting the battle, but the twilight princess would have nothing of it. She looked into his eyes and sighed contentedly as she carefully brushed his lips against hers. The hero's face turned a deep red as he unconsciously fought the urge to kiss her back. She leaned over his face slowly pushing him to the ground until he was forced to sit with her in his lap. She smiled seductively and reached up to Link's hat to rip it off. Midna twined her fingers into his blonde hair as she pulled him close for another kiss, but this time, it was rough and demanding. The hero heard a squeak from atop his head as Navi came out of her hiding place among his hair.

"Link…" she whispered into his ear. "What in Hyrule's name are you doing?"

The hero couldn't even answer as the twilight princess held him close to her. Instead he shot her a look that said 'I didn't ask for this! Help me out of this mess!'

"Link that's an illusion. The statues tricked us both! You need to kill her… It's not the real Midna."

Link shot the illusion a quick glance that told Navi exactly what he was thinking. 'You expect me to kill the person that I have been searching for?' It looked painfully real. He turned his eyes back to the twilight princess and saw that she had drawn herself away from him. Her eyes glittered with hatred as she lifted a dagger over her head to plunge it into the hero's chest. Link groped around for the hilt of his broken sword. As Midna brought her dagger down, the boy brought his broken sword under and up, sheathing it in her stomach. Midna stopped and clutched her abdomen, coughing up some strange blackish fluid. Bright red blood flowed from her wound and she turned to look at Link with a gleam in her eye.

"You passed" she said, letting her breaths come out in shallow gasps. She collapsed against the ground, a smile on her face. The illusion spell around the hero and fairy disappeared, leaving them both to struggle to catch their breath. The spell around the Copy Midna's body began to unravel as well, revealing its true identity. The guardian statue from earlier got to its feet, wincing slightly as it pulled the broken sword from his chest.

_**Hero **_it said, bending down to kneel before him. _**Accept the Mastersword once again. You passed our test of strength. **_It pointed over to where the other statue had fallen. The pile of broken rocks shone with a bright white light, blinding Link for a moment. When it cleared, the second statue stood in its place. It slowly walked over to join its fellow and turned to face the hero.

_**We tested for your strength of heart. A man that is cold and malicious does not deserve to hold the power of The Blade of Evil's Bane. We showed you the image of what would have happened had you been here to claim the Mastersword for your own benefit.**_

The image of his deceased loved ones filled his eyes once more. The pile of bodies. And the twilight princess trying to kill him. Link let out a shuttering breath, closing his eyes to avoid looking at the grotesque scene.

_**Had it been claimed**_ _**in a heart of greed, the power of The Sword of Evil's Bane would taint even the purest of souls. You would have sought to kill all who stood in your way, whether they were those you loved or not. Finally, the one to end your reign of terror would have to be more powerful than those who tried to stop you before. If you had entered such a state, the current twilight princess known as Midna would have had to kill you. **_

The hero opened his eyes. The vision of the pile of bodies was gone. Instead he found himself lying on his back, with the tip of a blade pressed to his neck. He looked around, searching for the wielder of the sword.

"I have to kill you…" whispered a small voice, somewhere above his head. "I have to kill you… but I…" Link looked up. There was Midna, holding a sword made of shadows, tears in her eyes. Her eyes searched his leaving him short of breath. She inhaled sharply and drove the sword down, only to stop inches before killing him. "Link I… I can't… I must tell you before you go… Link I…"

Midna faded away, leaving the hero standing in the courtyard of the sacred grove.

_**Remember this. The heart is easily persuaded. Keep your mind pure and you will hopefully never have to see the destruction of the world. As for you…**_ the statues turned to Navi. _**We know of YOUR vision. Yours is a destiny based solely on your choices. Make the correct ones and help the Hero of Twilight. He is your responsibility now.**_

The statues walked back to their pedestals, carefully picking up their abandoned hammers. They turned around, bringing down their hammers and saluting the boy and the fairy. Then the ancient magic that animated their bodies faded, leaving them as statues once more. Link took an unsteady step forward only to fall to his knees. Navi flew over to his side, holding his hat in one hand.

"Link…?"

The hero looked up at her and smiled, taking his hat. "It was all just a vision Navi. We know that now."

The fairy nodded slowly, crossing her legs in midair. "Link…" she hovered in front of him, looking at her feet. Suddenly she reached out and hugged him. "Link… promise me you won't get yourself killed."

Link smiled, picked up the small fairy and placed her on his shoulder. "Not until I reach a ripe old age Navi."

She smiled at that, her lovely blue glow shifting to a yellow one. "You would still be out there risking your hide for Hyrule. You would be the toughest old man that ever lived!"

They laughed together, trying to forget the battle that had just ended. Navi flew around the courtyard after a while, finally settling herself on a broken pillar. She watched the hero carefully as he picked up the broken end of the Ordinian blade that Rusl had given him. Link slid the length of the steel into its sheath, placing the hilt atop it. Unless he drew the sword, no one would know it was broken. The hero slowly approached the doorway to the sacred clearing where the Mastersword lay dormant. He looked back at Navi, feeling slightly confused at her calculating gaze. He continued forward until the misty wood came into view. Almost instantly his left eye began to burn with intense pain. He let out a fevered gasp and fell to the ground. Link clutched his eye, swearing quietly. He looked up to the pedestal that contained the Blade of Evil's Bane. The Mastersword gleamed ominously in the half light of the eternal dawn. Link stumbled forward, biting back a whimper of pain as his eye pulsated. Blood trickled down his left cheek. Link fought the urge to run from the room that caused his pain.

"_If I run for it… this will all be over soon."_

The hero stood on shaky legs, and dashed towards the pedestal. Blood dripped from his eye as he sprinted across the courtyard to stand by the Mastersword. All he wanted now was to end his pain. He took hold of the Mastersword's hilt…

Almost immediately pain exploded throughout the hero's body. Link let out an agonized cry. He felt a wave of blackness crash over him; it seemed to suck the light out of the world. Link could feel his eyes become stronger and his teeth become sharper, he could even hear Navi's gasp from inside the other room.

"_I'm transforming!" _the hero thought, desperately trying to regain control of his mind. _"But why?" _a second mind shattering wave of pain broke his concentration and Link gasped out. But this time his gasp turned into feral snarling. The boy cast a quick glance at the Mastersword and pulled, hoping to unsheathe the blade from its pedestal. Instead, black tendrils of electricity raced up and down his arm, intensifying his pain and making the limb go numb. Link could feel his heart beating in his chest as it fought of the blackness that swallowed him.

"_The mirror shard must be trying to reject the power of the Mastersword!" _Link thought frantically as Light began to seep from every surface of the Sacred Blade. "_The shard must want total control over my body…"_

Suddenly, the pain began to recede, leaving its former captive in a state of euphoric bliss. The darkness returned to its place of origin in the shard of the mirror of twilight. The Sword of Evil's Bane shone with a golden light, finally banishing the tainted shard from Link's body. His pain dissipated and the boy sunk to his knees once more, desperately holding onto the Mastersword in fear of it returning. As if to show him all was well, the shard floated high above the ground, reassembling itself as a collection of small black squares. Link reached up and snatched it out of the air, quickly shoving it into his pocket with distaste. Panting, the hero turned away from the pedestal of the Mastersword and quietly sheathed his blade.

"Link"

The boy spun around to face the voice that seemed to come from everywhere. He staggered a little, disoriented. Rubbing his eye, Link looked around the clearing with his right eye until they fell on the shadowy figure of the late Zora Queen.

"Very well done Hero of Twilight" she said, smiling. "Now come to the temple of time. The door between will open for you now." She cast a firm glance at the slowly approaching Navi. "But only for you. Your companion will have to remain behind." With that, Rutela faded away, leaving the two to stand alone in awkward silence.

"Navi…?"

"Yea?"

Link rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to meet her frosty gaze. "Do you mind if I go?"

The fairy sighed and turned her back to him. "Do whatever it is you want. I'll wait for you here."

With that she flew off towards the sacred grove, not even daring to look back at her golden haired companion.

"_Pig head" _she thought spitefully as he walked off in the direction of the door of time. When his presence vanished from her senses, the Fairy didn't bother to hide her feelings any longer. She half fell, half floated to the ground to land with an ungraceful thud. She placed her head in her hands as a fevered sob escaped her lips. "What I wouldn't give to knock some sense into that jackass."

The hall of the temple of time hadn't changed in the least since Link had last been there. "The Door of time always brings me back to the same point in history where the temple still existed…" the boy said to himself with a bitter laugh. The same eerie voices that sang out in an eternal chorus rang through the high walls and archways. The hall he stood in was a mirror image of the ruins he had just left. the temple's inner and outer beauty had faded with its age, but, as they had in the ruins, the perfectly symmetrical arches and walls reflected the craftsmanship of the people who built the temple. The geometric patterns were too many to count. Though he had been raised in Ordon, a village not known for its academic prowess, Link had learned basic math from Rusl.

"Every swordsman must know math Link" he had said. "Without it how will you known how to time your strike? Do you think you will just make a perfect kill by swinging your sword around?" _**(AN: lol that's how **_**I**_** do it!)**_

Link was fascinated at the use of triangles and rounded corners. The doorway to the inside of the temple of time was centered perfectly in the wall, the peak of the ceiling meeting the middle of the door. A half circle decorated the top of the door and even the perfect symmetry of the Hyrulian Royal crest laid perfectly centered above the door. The windows were made of golden rectangles that seemed to channel sunlight into the center of the chamber where a triforce decorated the floor. By it stood the two statues he had just fought. But these two had not been subject to the cruelty of age. The temple walls still stood around them, protecting the guardians of the Mastersword from the elements of the outside world. They had no moss growing on their bodies, no signs of old age. Wary of their presence here, the hero balked, curious to see if they too would try to foil his attempts to enter the temple of time. Link walked forward carefully, pulling out the Ocarina of Time as he went. He played the triforce song quickly, just in case the statues attacked once the song was over. As he had assumed, the statues gained life, stretching their limbs and readying their hammers. But instead of attacking him, they turned to salute him as he passed. Link warily eyed them for several more moments before heading on into the main chamber.

_**Hero of Twilight.**_ Called the voices of the statues, causing him to look over his shoulder at them. _**We acknowledge that you have been chosen by the goddesses. Let their light shine upon you as you journey. **_

Link gave them smallest of nods to which the statues replied with another salute before returning to their slumber. He studied them a little longer to ensure they would not attack. When they remained still, he walked forward into the chamber of the Mastersword.

As Link surveyed the room, he noticed that the blade of Evil's Bane was absent from its pedestal. _"Someone is out using it…" _thought the blond as he neared the stand. "_Just like last time."_ He readied his sword above the hole in the pedestal where it was previously placed. In one quick fluid motion, Link plunged the blade into place, activating some ancient spell that allowed access to the innards of the temple of time. The hero sprinted up the stairs in twos, passing through the illusion of a window without pause. _"Get in, get the water medallion, learn the song and get out." _thought Link quickly as he entered the hall of the temple. The doorway to the centermost room was still open, allowing the boy to skip over hours of tedious statue shifting. Link ran through the archway, stopping only to admire the craftsmanship for a moment before moving along. He leaped over places in the floor where tiles had eroded away, jumping through a swinging axe before getting to the door that lead to the center room.

Link dashed into the room carelessly, reaching for the ocarina as he shouted "Queen Rutela? I am here!"

The doors slammed shut behind him and instinctively, the hero reached for his sword, unsheathing it with a quick pull. "Hero of Twilight…" called a rasping voice that was bone chillingly familiar. "Welcome." Link spun around to face the voice but his eyes only met air. The voice cackled menacingly, causing the hero's pointed ears to twitch a little. The laughter rang through the hall, bouncing ominously off of the guardian statues that stared at him from their respective corners. Suddenly, the light dimmed alerting the hero to the thing above him. He rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being squashed by an eight legged creature. Upon further examination, Link realized that it wasn't a spider (well not entirely). Its head was incased in a familiar lizard like helmet that had a tongue sticking out.

"Zant" the hero snarled, unsheathing the Mastersword effortlessly.

The spider-zant cackled, raising the tongue of its helmet so he could look at Link. "Hero, that is quite the nasty habit you have there!" The bug clicked its legs on the ground as if inpatient. "Snarling at old friends that you've not seen in a while. Or do I bring out the beast inside you?"

The rumbling sound in Link's throat deepened. He held the blade of evil's bane in one hand, eyeing the spider carefully as it swung around and faced the opposite wall.

"You cannot see them can you?" it asked, tilting its head to the side. It pointed a hairy foreleg to the wall and whispered, "Use your senses."

Look trained his piercing blue stare on the wall, willing his mind to transform just enough to let him access his sixth sense. He felt his nose sharpen and his ears become more sensitive. When Link reopened his eyes the world was tinged blue.

The Zant-spider cackled, backing out of his line of sight to reveal three large cocoons on the wall. "Hero, look inside then. I dare you…"

Link made sure he faced the spider creature as he walked forward so he would not be surprised if it attacked him. When his back collided with the cocoon, he used the tip of the Mastersword to open it up.

Now that the restraints were gone, the body inside the cocoon slid onto the floor with ease, startling the hero as he realized who it was.

Queen Rutela.

The former queen did not get up off the ground. Instead she just lay there, her breathing shallow. Zant laughed, barley able to get words out between his fits of giggles. "Now…try…to…awaken…the… SAGE OF WATER!" with the last word, zant turned around to shoot his silky web at the hero. Link dodged it easily, standing about a foot away from the place where it was beginning to pool on the ground uselessly. He heard a sizzling sound coming from behind him, looking around until his eyes trained on the cause of the sound.

"_Damn…"_ link thought, glancing back at the Zant-spider. _"It must be acidic to burn a hole into the floor like that…" _the boy leapt out of the way of a new strand of web to roll behind the spider and slash at its abdomen. _"It's basically a skulltulla with Zant's head."_ He thought as the spider leapt away, hissing in defiance and showing his fang like teeth. Then the Zant-spider ruined the hero's theory by opening his mouth as if yawning and shooting blackish orbs of magic in his direction. Link threw up his shield at the last minute, sliding backwards slightly as the force of the magic made impact. When he lowered his shield, the spider was nowhere to be seen. Only faint laughter and the faint clicking of the things legs alerted the boy's transformed ears to the presence of the Zant-spider. Link dodged a blow from the ceiling as the spider fell to the ground where he had previously stood. There the Zant-spider lay dazed for a few moments. The hero smiled a little, leaping into the air to thrust his blade into the abdomen of the spider. He stood back to watch Zant writhe in pain as its body blackened. Finally, with an ear shattering caterwaul, the spider exploded, leaving the hero free to pick up the Mastersword.

"Link…"

Link spun around and sprinted over to the zora queen on the floor, placing one hand _on her back in an attempt to help her sit up. Once she was leaning against the wall, the queen pointed to the remaining cocoons, signaling he hero to release those trapped inside as well. Two quick slashes later saw to more Zora people sliding out of the sticky encasement to lie alongside the Queen, both breathing. One was defiantly female, judging by her physic. She had fins place at her elbows and hips to they looked like some kind of dress. The other looked a lot more like a fish than most zoras usually did. His body was circular and he had a _fish's head, but his arms and legs were spindly. Link turned his attention back to Rutela, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Please teach me the song. Then they will have no need to attack you."

The former queen coughed a little, letting her hand slide from her mouth down to her throat where a hexagonal pendant was suspended by a chain of small sapphires. She pulled a little and the pendant came off her person easily. Though Link noticed, a faint outline remained behind as a remnant of the queen's soul. "Here is the medallion of the water sage. After I teach you the serenade of water, you must take it to my son and play the song for him." She placed her hand on his cheek, "we must hurry, before either Ruto or my husband wakes up."

The hero pulled out the ocarina, following Rutela's notes carefully until the song was finished. The Ocarina of Time glowed slightly as it recognized the melody before it dimmed again.

"Before you go I must tell you about these two." The queen gestured at the two unconscious Zora. "The woman is Ruto, the famous water sage. She was killed by Ganondorf as the sages sealed him away in the sacred realm. The man" Rutela blushed, "Is my husband, King Zora." She quickly recovered her composition in time to say, "They will be of help to you if you are ever in need of spirits. Know their faces as well as you know mine. Now be gone" Rutela pushed on his arm a little, to get him moving. "Go meet your fairy companion. The longer you delay, the closer evil shadows come to sealing away the realm of light forever."

_**Yup. I lied. Haha!**_

_**Sorry guys but no real Midna for a while. She renters the story later.**_

_**Also, I had to downsize the story a little cause the plotline was origionally thought up so it could be a game. Hence the random finding of glass tears that I should prooooooooooooooooooobably take out. Yea once link got to the twilight realm there were gonna be like…. Five dungeons to go through so you could get BACK to the realm of light. And I dunno about you guys but I absolutely HATE writing dungeon scenes. That and fight scenes (Mostly because mine always end up short with generic damage like slashed back, cut arm, cut leg, etc). **_

_**And doubly sorry it's so late. There have been many factors that cause this chapters' lateness. Like being grounded (ah yes. I seem to always get grounded…), being stalked (yea… and its CREEPY AS HELL! Sorry for mentioning it HERE of all places, but I frequently get called to the principal's office to talk about it since the guy is suicidal… ugh crap balls…) and working on several art works for a Fanfic writer known as Igor Lollipop. I'm drawing her OC Glenna for her and I must say that girl is insanely BA! **_

_**Also, I'm thinking about condensing the first… four chapters and editing them so they make more sense… but yea... thats about all on the update list!**_

_**And I'm also continuing to fail at my drabble series about Link and Navi. I was so close to the part where it gets funny! But up till the point im at is boring and poopy… argh.**_

_**See you guys lata!**_

_**Ja Ne! (I JUST learned that from my Japanese friend!) **_


	10. The Goddess' Blessing & the Shadow Leech

_**Hey guys!**_

_**Well here is where the classic hero persona REALLY begins to fade away. Read on to hear about it!**_

_**FOR ONCE I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO SAY! Oh, except the thank you for my editor and friend. Rissy!**_

_**Two songs inspired this chapter. For the first part, I liked **__**With My Own Two Hands**__** - Ben Harper. Not so much the reggae, just the lyrics. **_

_**Now I can change the world  
With my own two hands  
Make it a better place  
With my own two hands  
Make it a kinder place**_

_**For the second song, I was inspired by Down with the Sickness – Disturbed. Heh. It's mostly symbolic for the feral side of Link that seems to be making itself more prominent. Also you may get the other reference I'm trying to make. But that is optional! NOTE! THIS SONG USES LOTS OF BAD WORDS! Listen at your own risk.**_

_**Drowning deep in my sea of loathing  
Broken your servant I kneel  
(Will you give it to me?)  
**__It seems what's left of my human side__**  
Is slowly changing in me  
(Will you give it to me?)**_

_**Alright! Go read some more!**_

_**

* * *

**_

Blackness cloaked the hero's vision, veiling his senses with faint whispers of lost souls.

"_Am I dead?" _he asked, pondering the question with lazy thoughts. _"This feeling is familiar… but I can't place it."_

_**Link…**_

The boy's eyes snapped open, despite their blindness. _"What was that?"_

_**Brave Link…**_

"_Thank the goddesses they didn't say heroic. I hate that."_

_**We know.**_

Link paused. _"They knew? How?"_

_**We know because we know all. We have seen all, created all, influenced all. **_

"_Oh no…"_

_**Do not fear young man. You are not dead. **_Link's eyes were suddenly granted sight. He shielded his eyes, startled by the blinding colors he was now permitted to see. The hero was floating above a small grassy knoll, adorned with colorful flowers of blue, red and yellow. His feet touched down lightly onto the tall green grass. It swayed in an unforeseen wind, bowing to a woman who sat herself below a giant tree that bore a carving of the triforce. The whole place pulsated with life; the only thing not of nature were the two golden triangles that marked the triforce of wisdom and power. The third, the triforce of courage, was marked with swirling tree roots.

_**Link.**_

The woman stood, revealing gorgeous green eyes that hid behind her long blonde bangs. Cascading waves of golden hair spilled down her back like water, stopping at her hip. She smiled, her pale skin crinkling in the exact placed that it should. Her pearly white teeth shone in the sun captivating any that should look at her. She wore a green dress, flowing down to her ankles, secured with a belt made of what seemed to be roots. A crown of leaves adorned her forehead.

_**Link **_she said again. _**Bearer of the triforce of courage, come to me.**_

The hero obeyed, walking forward slowly, his legs stiff from disuse.

The woman placed her hand on his cheek. Her heart beat in the same time as his own. _**Follow me **_she said, turning on her heel to walk towards the tree in the center of the clearing. Link trailed after her, his eyes fixed intently on the ground. Whenever this strange woman took a step, flowers sprung out of the ground. Link looked back up again, trying meet the eyes of the woman.

Finally she turned, startling the hero at the sudden change in her stare. The once green color of her eyes had changed to a fierce blue green. _**Hero, allow me to introduce myself. I am Farore.**_ She giggled, in his haste to bow, her eyes returning to their former shade of green. _**Do not honor me. Unlike my sisters, I do not care for the attention of you Hylians. You will find that I chose to be more… **_she tapped her chin thoughtfully. _**Humble, I suppose. I chose to breathe life into the world, rather than have life given to me in the form of sacrifice as my sisters have done. But look here.**_

The goddess of Courage pointed to the tangle of roots that formed her piece of the triforce. _**This is the source of my power. My body and soul. This tree is the first and last of its kind. I beseech you; place your hand on the piece of the Triforce that rightfully belongs to you. **_

Link took another tentative step towards the tree. He placed his gauntleted hands on the roots, feeling the breath of life from under the bark.

Then his goddess did something he had not foreseen. She pushed him into the tree, whispering words of a forgotten tongue into his ear.

_**Le aa' Hylian, le talyr iari si tandros os os**_ _**eilaerys. **_She said, her power beginning to pulsate through Link's body. _**Ai kal o si Cyrdaedi os si eindraer. Tae os shylaer shi casaes sal maer, tae os eis baelaes sosi, tae os caes shi myl. Ai kal o si iari os tandros. Tae air maesi o shaer.**_

Farore stepped away from him, letting her chosen hero fall to his knees before the tree.

_**Vaeres sai os veirolar thys. Pai byr mae caesi.**_ She said soothingly, pulling him back to lay in the warm grass she had created with her power. _**Thys air air si vaer os si Kyr, eil o cali ialoloraer**_ _**sherolaer jhaes sai saji tasi os ail si shys o tar Bael.**_

XXX

Zelda looked on in worry. The arrow shot by her faithful soldier just barely missed his heart. But even she, one skilled in the arts of healing magic, could not help. Someone had cast a magical barrier around the hero that was chained to the wall. He had not awoken from his deep sleep for over a week. Though his wounds had stopped bleeding, the princess was concerned. A few days ago, he had started to glow with a brilliant green light. Though she could form no solid conclusions, Zelda guessed it meant that the Triforce of courage was leaving his body, signifying his death.

Suddenly she heard a deep shuddering breath. She looked up and saw Link starting to move. A smile spread across her face as she called in her guards and nurses. They stared in awe at the hero before the guard captain ushered everyone out. He sat, waiting for Link to fully awaken.

XXX

Link pulled his eyelids open, half expecting to see the warm color and grass of the place he had been before. But instead of the sunlight on his face, the hero looked around and saw he was in a prison cell, the same one he had been trapped in when he had first encountered Midna.

Link felt his heart twinge in the familiar pain that had appeared from her departure. His mind wandered through the memories of his friend that he held so dear. But there was another aching pain in his chest, one that was more physical. Link looked down, his eyes catching sight of an arrow shaft buried right above his heart.

"_I remember now…"_

A rusty laugh awoke Link from thoughtful brooding. The hero chanced to look up, hearing a small gasp come from the corner of the room, but he did not care. His eyes were focused on a shadowed figure that posed importantly in front of him. The man shot his hand through the steel bars that separated the cell from the hall way and grabbed the hero by his neck. The chains that bound Link to the wall allowed enough space to let him clutch the hand that held him so tightly. He tried to focus his feral instincts so he could claw the owner of the hand, but strength seemed to evaporate from his limbs.

"Struggle _hero…_" snarled the man, tightening his grip on the boy's neck. "Those chains binding you have a magic spell on them. The more you fight against it, the weaker you will become."

Link relaxed, earning himself a cocky laugh from the man. "That's right hero. You are in no position to refuse me."

"Neither are you" said a feminine voice. "Release him Thal. That is an order."

Thal snorted and dropped the boy to the ground. He turned away to storm out the door.

"Please excuse him" Zelda said, stepping out of the shadows. "He can get carried away."

Link couldn't hold back the terrifying growl that ripped from his throat. He felt satisfied at the fear that flashed across Zelda's face, even if it was only for a moment.

"Link, you aren't in any condition to do anything. If you hadn't noticed there's an arrow in your chest!"

"Shoulder" He snarled. "And I don't particularly want you near me Zelda."

The princess looked on the verge of tears. _"Her own damn fault. She should know that I am more than enough to save the twilight realm from whatever it is they face."_

"Link I-"

"I suggest you let me go now…" the hero said calmly, fixing her with his cold blue stare. "Before I do it myself in a more violent fashion."

Zelda looked as if she wished to obey, but just as quickly as the thought had crossed her mind; it was gone, along with the feelings of pity. "I have a duty to protect this land" she said, drawing herself up to her full height. "If we can keep the darkness in the twilight realm from crossing over to our world, then there is no need for you to put us in danger for your own selfish reasons."

"_My_ reasons are selfish?" the hero taunted, pulling on his restraints experimentally. They creaked a little, but not enough to break. "I want to help the people trapped there who are dying!"

"What about Midna!"

"She needs my help as well!"

Now Zelda looked angrier than a mountain troll. "You _insufferable _fool!"

Link focused his mind; trying to use his beast strength to fill is arms. He could feel his feral side beginning to emerge.

_I want to kill. _Said a voice, startling the hero. _Can I kill HER?_

_Princess Zelda?_ He asked. _No. she has helped me. Cared for me. She deserves our pity now._

_She deserves NOTHING! _The other voice shouted, causing Link to flinch at its volume. _What she deserves is a rainy funeral!_

_No… you are wrong. _

_No. YOU are wrong hero! She wants to control you! Tame you! Make you a toy that she entertains herself with! What is it you want?_

_Freedom _he replied simply. _I want to see the world. I want to find my dearest friend Midna._

_And who is it that restricts your freedom?_

…_Zelda._

_Who is it that tells you to forget your friend?_

_Zelda._

_So what is the first thing you are going to do when I free you?_

_Elliminate Zelda._

The voice let out a raspy laugh. _Seems that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!_

_Who are you?_

There was a pause, as if the other voice needed to think.

_What?_

_Who are you? _Link repeated, growing impatient.

_Fool. _The voice hissed, _I am you. Your inner thoughts, your instincts. I am what keeps you alive when all hope is lost. Listen to me, and you will live._

_**Do not listen to him Link.**_

The boy stopped, opening his eyes to stare past the princess who still stood in front of his cell. _Farore? _He thought tentatively at the faint outline of his goddess that stood behind Zelda.

_**Do not listen to him. He seeks to possess you, to have a body of his own. Allow me to lend you my power. Do not rely on the Madyrn jheas for help. You can only extract small doses of his power. Too much, and he will be free.**_

Link nodded in understanding, relaxing his body to allow the goddess control over him. She slipped into his mind, her light banishing the other voice from his head. She filled his limbs with warmth, her power beginning to overwhelm the chains that restrained him.

_**I will take you away from here, to the place where a friend waits for you.**_

XXX

Zelda looked on, frightened by the scene that was unfolding before her. Link's eyes had turned blood red, just as they had when he transformed.

"_I want to kill." _He hissed, staring at her sadistically, licking his lips._ "Can I kill HER?"_

The hero's eyes flashed blue. "Princess Zelda?" He asked. "No. she has helped me. Cared for me. She deserves our pity now."

"_Our?" _the princess thought. Now choosing to ignore the skitsofrenic conversation Link was having with himself. "_What happened to him? Does this have anything to do with him being exposed to the darkness the sages told me about?"_

"Elliminate Zelda."

The princess was brought out of her trance upon hearing the words being uttered from the hero's mouth.

His eyes were red, making his glare seem as if it could cut through metal. He let out a raspy laugh. "_Seems that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!" _He hissed, flexing his claws in anticipation.

The blue eyed Link looked up, defiance showing in his expression "Who are you?"

A pause. "_What?"_

"Who are you?" the blue Link asked again.

Red eyed Link took control, snarling at his other half. "_Fool. _His rough voiced hissed, "_I am you. Your inner thoughts, your instincts. I am what keeps you alive when all hope is lost. Listen to me, and you will live." _

The red Link drew himself up, lashing out at Zelda from behind the bars. The chains that were clamped around his wrists groaned as they were slowly bent out of shape. Red Link smiled triumphantly when one broke.

"_Get ready princess."_ He growled.

_**Do not listen to him Link.**_

The blue eyed Link looked up, past his monarch, fixing his gaze on something behind her. "Farore?" he asked as if he wasn't sure.

"_Farore?" _Zelda thought, looking around frantically to find the source of the voice. Her eyes met only air, but a beautifully melodic voice met her ears.

_**Do not listen to him. He seeks to possess you, to have a body of his own. Allow me to lend you my power. Do not rely on the Madyrn jheas for help. You can only extract small doses of his power. Too much, and he will be free.**_

Zelda saw the hero nod, closing his eyes and relaxing into his semi-mangled chains. He began to glow with the same green light as he had done when he was unconscious. When Link opened his eyes again Zelda gasped. They were neither red nor blue, but green.

_**I will take you away from here, **_the hero said, his voice one with the goddess'._** To the place where a friend waits for you.**_

The destroyed chains melted away from his arms, forcing Zelda to back away from the intense heat that emitted from the boy's body.

He looked up, forcing his green eyes to meet her blue ones. "Sorry Zelda." He said, smiling warmly at her. "FARORE'S WIND!"

With a flash of green light, Link was gone, leaving the princess standing alone in the dungeon.

Zelda went over the event in her head, trying to come to terms with something that the goddess of courage had said.

"_Madyrn jheas…" _she thought slowly. "_It's old Hylian, a language only spoken by the royal family now." _Zelda recalled her years of study under her father. "_Madyrn jheas… shadow leech?"_

XXX

The grandfather clock in the castle study ticked away, marking each agonizing second of a fairy's eternal life with pain.

_Tick_

"One more second away from my family."

_Tock_

"One more second away from my home."

_Tick_

"One more second where I feel my freedom slip away."

_Tock_

"One more second Link hasn't come for me."

Navi sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, her eyes glazed and unfocused. The wretched clock ticked away her time in confinement. "Damn" she whispered. "Damn, damn, damn, damn, DAMN!"

"Enjoying your time here fairy?"

"I would be a little more compliant if you rid me of that Goddess damned clock!" Navi retorted, snarling out her words.

"Oh princess…" chuckled the voice. "I leave it here to remind you of your predicament. You see…" she heard footsteps move closer to her prison. She didn't bother to look up. "This glass," she felt something tap against the bottle she was held in. "is made with pure crystalized twilight. The only thing your pesky fairies seem to grow weak from. "

"And what of you oh kind sir?" Navi finally turned to face the owner of the voice, a man whose figure was covered by the shadows. "If you were Hylian you would not be able to come within three feet of this bottle without becoming a soul, and you most certainly have not."

"For one so small you are quite smart!" laughed the man, his shadow beginning to pace around her. "Yes, I am NOT Hylian. But that is no concern of yours right now."

"Then pray tell me what IS my concern?"

Navi could practically hear the smirk in his words, "Whether or not you make it through the night. You know you cannot survive this blatant exposure to twilight for much longer."

"Your point being…?

"I want information. Tell me all that you know about this little quest and I will release you."

Temptation flowed through the fairy, logic urging her to free herself. _"Link left me behind… what do I care?" _but somehow the thought didn't feel right. Navi straightened up, getting to her feet. "I will never tell you anything. I have faith in my hero. He WILL stop you!"

The man hissed, picking up the twilight bottle and tossing it across the room. The fairy hit the wall of the container. Twilight flowed through her limbs, sucking the strength from her body.

"When I return, you had better have a more friendly attitude."

Navi snarled, the animalistic sound pleasing her. She could feel the hot tears stream down her face. "BASTARD!" she called after him. The princess got to her feet, cradling the remains a shredded wing in her arms. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"

The sound of maniacal laughter reached her ears, making her glow turn from blue to red.

As silence flowed through the room, the incessant ticking of the grandfather clock resumed. As fairy dust flowed from her damaged wing, Navi paced in a small circle.

"He had better have a good reason for this."

* * *

_**Cliffy? I think so!**_

…_**Link seems to have changed has he not? This could spell trouble for the hero! OH NO! WHAT WILL HAPPEN! Review and I shall consider allowing you to find out!**_

_**Also, continuing the new trend of side notes…**_

_**1. Fairies don't bleed. Their bodies leak fairy dust to help heal them. That's why fairy dust heals people!**_

_**And sorry it is kinda short. I COULDN'T WAIT!**_

_**Till next time hommies. LNMHYLIAN is out**_


End file.
